Gundam Build Fighters EXCELSA
by MarikaKato7
Summary: 16 year old Levanah Morgan is an up and coming Gunpla Fighter, starting her Summer break when she gets the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to compete in the 9th Gunpla Battle World Championship. But there are many challenges ahead before that becomes a reality. Does she have what it takes to make it to the finals? - OC-centric, contains f/f.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gundam franchise. If I did, Turn A would have an English dub by now.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Aim For The Top!**

* * *

Low, hushed whispers from a stadium crowd fill the air. The whispers are interrupted by an announcer's voice and a spotlight piercing through the darkness, shining on the figure of a boy, no more than 13 years old, dressed in a simple white jacket and blue shorts. His expression is full of confidence, eagerness, as he listens to the announcer call his name. "Ladies and gentlemen, the 7th Gunpla Battle World Champion, here again to fight for his title, let's hear a round of applause for IORI SEI!"

The crowd goes wild as the boy raises his fist in the air. Men and women, boys and girls of all ages cheering the boy's name. A second spotlight shines upon a figure on the opposite side of the arena, and as the announcer is about to speak...

"Levanah! Come on already!"

"All right, all right dad, sheesh!' A teenage girl presses pause on a remote, grumbling a bit under her breath. "Damn it, and at the last match too..." The girl hops off her bed, hurriedly putting on a presentable outfit, plain white pants and a navy blue shirt, grey windbreaker with light blue waist and armbands on top. She pulls her brunette ponytail through the back of a white and blue baseball cap, a quick grab for her brown satchel as she dashes out her room's door. Swiftly running down the hallway she almost stumbles into a tall man in his late 40's, dressed in casual white business attire. He chuckles and pats the girl on the head.

"Come on kiddo, I know it's the last day and all but it's no excuse to just start skipping out on your classes." The man smiles. "Last year's Tournament will still be here when you get home."

"I knoooow, but I was at the final match!" The girl gave a light jab up into the air. "Champion Sei Iori defends his title against-"

"When. You. Get. Home." The man adamantly emphasizes, smile changing to an obviously faked frown. He then calls out to another room, "Jodi, she's finally ready, so we'll be heading off! You take care, hon!"

"All right, I'll be gone by the time you're back!" a woman's voice called back.

The father and daughter walk out the door, the girl's mind filled with thoughts of that final match. Sure she knew the outcome, but knowing it is nothing like seeing it happen. She looked up, staring at the slightly cloudy sky.

The girl's name is Levanah Morgan, 16 year old resident of New York City. She lives with her mom and dad, Mike and Jodi Morgan. An average, somewhat tomboyish girl, fascinated by the robots, machines, mechs. A fan of the Gundam metaseries and a variety of other mecha series as well. And above all, she is a Gundam Plastic Model, Gunpla, Builder and Fighter, with dreams of going head to head against some of the best in the world. By the end of the day, those dreams would be one step closer to reality.

* * *

The sound of ringing bells and cheering boys and girls break the relative silence of a High School near Central Park. Kids, teenagers anywhere between the ages of 14 and 18, pour out of the school. Levanah, flanked on the right by a blonde girl, slightly shorter than her and wearing a modest white jumper dress over an orange shirt, and a bespectacled Asian boy, about the same height as the blonde and wearing a red and white track suit, let out a loud yawn.

"It wasn't thaaaat tiring, Levvy." The blonde remarked, a soft giggle following. "Besides, the school year's finally over! You should be excited!"

"Methinks that little miss Pirate didn't get enough sleep last night, Belle." The boy snarked aloud. "Up trying to finish the 8th World Championship, I take it? How far did you get, anyway?"

"Made it to the last round before I had to leave. You'll get it back tomorrow, Blair." Levanah stretched out her arms, letting out another yawn before rubbing her eyes. "But that's later, you two wanna do anything? Dad's not gonna be here for a few hours." The two shrugged in response to her question as they all walked along behind the crowded sidewalk. As they reached the crosswalk, Belle piped up.

"Ah! We could just head to the arcade, I bet Levvy has a few things she wants to try out there."

"We could head to the Hobby shop nearby, too. I've been meaning to throw some money at a new kit, for practice." Blair replied.

Levanah laughed. "All right, all right, mall it is, then." The trio crossed the street, walking along and chatting among themselves as they headed towards a somewhat large building, only four stories in height but noticeably wider than the surrounding structures. This mall was filled with people, a significant portion being the kids from the nearby High School. Levanah's group wandered in the direction of the food court, still conversing, discussing plans for Summer vacation, but stopped upon hearing unusual music coming from the arcade. Not unusual in the sense of unfitting, but unusual in that it sounded... live, as if two guitarists and one singer were performing there. They headed closer, finding a small crowd gathered near the entrance as Levanah and Blair recognized the tune being played. Levanah spoke up, "Is that...?"

"Rhythm Emotion, yeah. Well, an electric guitar cover of it at least." Blair stated, adjusting his glasses. Beyond the crowd they could see a girl with dyed purple and blonde hair, maybe 17 years old, wearing a black tank-top with a purple vest over it, matching black short shorts and tall boots with purple pantyhose underneath. She was performing on what seemed to be a modified Gunpla Battle Field stage, a noticeably modified guitar in her hands, when the three noticed a smaller figure flying around her. Blair let out a short gasp as he noticed the figure was also playing its guitar along with the girl. "An Extreme Gundam? But... that rifle, that's not its usual equipment." Belle was lost trying to understand what the two were talking about, a puzzled look on her face as she tugged on the sleeve of Levanah's windbreaker.

"Levvy, what's an 'Extr-'?"

The question was interrupted by a synthesized voice, let out a loud statement:

[BATTLE ENDED]

The crowd's attention turned for a moment away from the guitarist to the arcade's main Gunpla Battle Field. A young boy, brown haired and dressed in a uniform for a nearby Private School, hung his head as he collected his Gunpla, a green and white Zeta Gundam with a Zaku head. A far older boy, with scruffy black hair and a white jersey, laughed at the younger one, his arms crossed. "And that's win number nine. You didn't stand a chance, kid!" Looking at the other Gunpla, it wasn't hard to see why. The imposing frame of a slightly modified Neo-Zeong sat on the table, without the booster "legs" and black and gold highlights complimenting its primarily red color scheme. The older boy addressed the crowd, "Anyone else want to take on my Neo-Zeong Tyrant? See if they can stop my win streak?" Levanah gripped her satchel, an angry glare directed towards him. Belle looked at her, then towards Blair.

"S-she has that look in her eyes again, Blair." she commented in a nervous voice.

Blair nodded at her, then tried to address Levanah. "Hey, maybe we should just let this-"

"You say you're accepting challengers. Well, here's your next one." She was already at one end of the hexagonal Battle Field before Blair and Belle even noticed she had moved. The girl pointed at the pilot of the Neo-Zeong. "Name's Levanah Morgan, and I'll be the one to break that win streak of yours."

The boy chuckled. "You think you can stop my Neo-Zeong Tyrant? This match will be over in less than two minutes!"

The guitarist, almost unnoticed since the end of the previous battle, addressed the crowd. "Woohoo, ladies and gentlemen, looks like we've got another heated battle starting up! Can this new girl topple Zack Brendans, or will he reach a tenth victory in a row? Fighters, are you ready?!"

The synthetic voice of the battle announcer came on again:

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GP BASE]

Both fighters placed the rectangular GP Bases down. Zack moved his Neo-Zeong back to the starting position, the Gunpla barely fitting. The guitarist addressed the crowd again, a riff from her guitar followed by one from the Extreme Gundam flying around her, "Let's have a good show!" She started to play the instrumental opening of "Stand Up To The Victory" as another announcement came forth:

[BEGINNING PLAVSKY PARTICLE DISPERSAL]

A bluish glow filled the space around the two fighters as Levanah pulled her Gunpla out of her satchel, light cloth obscuring most of it, but the signature X-shaped thrusters on the back made it clear what it was.

[FIELD 01: SPACE]

The interior of the Battle Field became a holographic projection of space, the bottom becoming a lunar surface. The crowd had hushed slightly as "Stand Up To The Victory" continued to play in the background.

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GUNPLA]

Levanah placed hers on the starting base as holographic interfaces surrounded both fighters. She took in a deep breath, grabbing the holographic controls.

[BATTLE START]

"Neo-Zeong Tyrant! Launch!"

"Crossbone Gundam X-7! Launch!'

The thrusters under the Neo-Zeong fired up, the frame moving into the battlefield at a steady pace. The Crossbone's thrusters lit up as well, dashing towards its opponent, cloak fluttering slightly. The moment the smaller Gunpla was in range, the Neo-Zeong unleashed a flurry of beams towards it. As if expecting it, the hands of the Crossbone flung out of the cloak, palms splayed open as vents on the lower arms opened as well. The beams flew towards the Crossbone... and were promptly deflected. Zack seemed stunned for a few seconds as the Crossbone kept closing in.

"Tch, I was just making sure you're no rookie, girl! But you're still no match!" Zack tapped one of the buttons on his controls, selecting another weapon. "Take this!" A dozen wired claws spread out from the Neo-Zeong, attempting to halt the Crossbone's advance in its tracks. They were met with what seemed like a sheet of bullet fire from the smaller Gunpla's head Vulcans, it dodging the few that survived the onslaught almost effortlessly.

Levanah smirked, gripping the controls and pushing them forward, her Crossbone accelerating. It gripped two objects from under its cloak, throwing them at the Neo-Zeong. Expecting explosives, Zack maneuvered his mammoth Gunpla out of harm's way... and almost slapped himself when he finally noticed that they weren't explosives, but the Crossbone's Beam Zanber and Buster Gun. Turning his attention back to the opponent as warnings popped up in his terminal, Zack almost shrieked at the image of the pirate Gundam's mug occupying the viewscreen, mouth-vent open and emitting a haunting yellow glow. Zack attempted to swat at the Gundam to no avail, the large thrusters on the back keeping it at a distance. The Crossbone now overhead, he then attempted to use the Sinanju inside to fire its Bazooka at it, only for a claw coming from the Gundam's skirt armor to grapple it away.

The crowd remained mostly silent, either watching the battle or paying attention to the guitarist still, Levanah's friends fixated on her. Zack grew more and more noticeably nervous to the audience. He let out a yell, gripping the holographic controls and taking aim at the Crossbone with the Sinanju's Beam Rifle as he prepared the Neo-Zeong's PsychoShard in what seemed like a last-ditch, all out attempt to end this match quickly. The Rifle fired, Belle letting our a gasp as she saw it strike the Crossbone. Zack seemed to shout a celebratory "Aha!" but stopped short as the Gundam itself was undamaged, cloak breaking and burning away to reveal the navy blue and white frame of the Gundam, a stylized skull-and-crossbones emblem with a large number seven next to it on the chest. A small dagger darted out of the foot of the Crossbone as its thrusters fired up, the blade glowing red hot.

Levanah finally broke her silence, shouting aloud, "Dagger! INAZUMA! _KIIIIIICK!_" The guitarist in the background hit the final verse of her song. Sweat dripping down from his brow, Zack tried one more time to fire at the Gundam but failed to hit, the golden ring of the PsychoShard not yet fully ready, the arms of the Neo-Zeong flailing around in an attempt to swat the opponent away. This final miss proved fatal, as the Crossbone plunged its Heat Dagger right into the Sinanju's chest. A second kick pushed the Gundam out of its opponent while also increasing size of the gash the dagger left in it, dashing off to collect its discarded weapons, crossing its arms as the Sinanju exploded. The boy's head hung low upon hearing the announcer declare:

[BATTLE ENDED]

The holograms began to disperse. Zack sulked over to try and collect his behemoth Gunpla, but stopped as he saw an outstretched hand. "That was a nice try." Levanah said to him. "Problem was you were kinda relying too much on just overwhelming your opponent through sheer firepower. You've gotta plan things out more, strategize." The boy was somewhat dumbfounded. Levanah scratched the back of her head, continuing, "And probably isn't the best idea to go around with such an expensive kit, damage adds up pretty fast, even with something like that much firepower." She looked towards her opponent's now motionless Gunpla. "Kinda tried to leave as little damage on the Mobile Armor as possible. Sinanju's an easier thing to replace and repair."

Zack stared at her silently, then at his Neo-Zeong. He smiled, finally shaking her hand. "Thanks, uh..."

"Levanah. Levanah Morgan. And you're Zack...?"

"Zack Rolla." he replied.

"One last suggestion, then. Based on your fighting style, you might do a bit better when a smaller, ranged heavy-weapons Mobile Suit. Try a Heavyarms or Leopard, or maybe even a Seravee."

"Hah, I'll think about that." Zack gathered his Gunpla, carefully carrying it as he walked off. The battle's audience gathered around Levanah, people bombarding her with questions. Blair rushed to recover her Gunpla as Belle pulled her away from the crowd. A good five or six minutes passed before they were clear from the onlookers, all three letting out deep sighs.

"Just had to make a point, didn't you?" Blair grumbled towards Levanah.

"The guy was hiding behind power to make up for skill. Sure it'll get you a few wins in the short run, but it's not a good way to go about Gunpla Battle. You'll end up crashing pretty hard eventually." she defended, arms crossed. "Difference in skill can make a Jegan topple a Devil Gundam."

Blair rolled his eyes at that comment. He knew it was technically true, but somehow it just felt like too far a stretch, at least for any couple of Fighters of vaguely similar skill levels. Belle barely understood the reference, but could at least make a guess at what it meant. The three walked along for a bit before a voice called out to them. "Hey, heeeey! Crossbone Girl!" To their surprise, it was the guitarist from the arcade running towards them, guitar now in a black case slung over her shoulder. "That was quite a show you put on there. You were on fire!"

Levanah smiled and blushed a little at the compliment. "W-well, it was nothing, really." She scratched the back of her head, looking away. "I've... kinda had a good deal of practice. Say, I was actually wondering, what was with that concert thing back there? This is the first I've heard of someone performing a rock song with Gunpla. Well, with the Gunpla participating at the very least."

The girl placed her hands on her hips, a wide, cheeky grin on her face. "It's a special kind of promotion for the upcoming World Championship." She pulled out her Extreme Gundam from part of her guitar case, showing it to Levanah. Build quality was top-notch, engineering above what one would get from the base kit, but what amazed her was the accessory, a fully functional, miniature guitar in the shape of a Beam Rifle. "Straight from the geniuses at Yajima, with a bit of help from Bandai, of course. Oh! Forgive me, I still haven't introduced myself." She jabbed a thumb's-up into the air and then pointed it at herself, her grin going from what seemed to be ear to ear. "Haley Jo, Junior Promoter of the 9th Gunpla Battle World Championship!"

Levanah and Blair's jaws dropped. Even Belle showed some surprise at that statement. Haley continued, "That gig there was just a little preview thing, the real promotion starts this Sunday." She then pointed at Levanah and winked. "So, how about it, hot stuff? You gonna try and enter?"

Levanah's face went bright pink. "Ah... um... y-yeah! Yes!" Blair and Belle turned their heads towards her, blank expressions occupying their faces as the girl clumsily returned the Extreme Gundam to its owner.

"Awesome! I'll see you then!" Haley ran off before Levanah could get another word out, probably to her benefit. An awkward silence persisted among the three for a couple minutes, though it felt like an hour. It finally was broken by quiet snickering coming from Blair and Belle.

"W-what? What?" Levanah exclaimed, a prominent blush still on her face.

"Levvy and Haley, sitting in a~"

"Belle!" Levanah tried to grab her, the blonde easily escaping her grasp, laughing teasingly.

Blair chuckled to himself. "I guess there are worse reasons for making a fool of yourself. It's not like you were just going to pass it by, anyway." Levanah gave something halfway between a grumble and low growl as a response to his remark, Belle nudging her in the shoulder teasingly.

"You guys suck..." Levanah spoke in a tone of defeat, head hanging down.

"Aw, don't be like that. I think it's kinda cute." Belle poked the other girl's rosy-red cheek. "Levvy wants to impress her crush~"

"I-I met her like fifteen minutes ago!"

"That isn't a denial." Blair adjusted his glasses, smirking.

"Can, can we just drop this? Please?" The girl's friends nodded, letting the issue go. For now. Levanah let out a deep, exasperated sigh. "Thank you. Sheesh, with friends like these..." A bit of normalcy returned to their conversation, switching to now-modified weekend plans. A good twenty minutes pass before Levanah gets a call on her cell-phone. The conversation is short and to the point. She turns to her friends. "Well, dad's at the mall entrance. I'll see you two Sunday, then?"

"Of course. But do try to get some sleep between now and then, Levanah."

"Harder to impress a girl with bags under your eyes~"

"Why you-!" her friends started running off, laughing, before she could finish. They both waved to her, Levanah smiling and waved back, dashing towards the mall's entrance. Her father was waiting for her outside.

"Well, seems like you had a good day, kiddo." Mike patted his kid on the head, Levanah swatting his arm away.

"School was about what you'd expect, but you'll never believe what happened afterward."

"Hah, I somehow doubt that." He guided his kid into the black car he was leaning on, listening to her recount her fight against Zack Rolla and his Neo-Zeong. As they drove away, she got to the part about promising to join the Sunday tournament. While still keeping his eyes on the traffic ahead, Mike raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. Levanah then became unusually quiet, looking away from her father. The awkward silence continued for a couple blocks, only real sound coming from the hum of the car's engine. Mike cleared his throat, deciding to break this pause in conversation himself. "So... what's her name?"

"DAD!"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Gundam franchise. Nor do I own the rights to certain franchises whose names begin with the letters "M," "G," and most certainly not another model-kit-centric franchise beginning with the letter "Z."

* * *

**Chapter 2: No Future for the Fearful**

* * *

11:24 AM, a Sunday. The cool breeze of morning was easing up, the Summer sun's warmth slowly heating the streets of New York City. Outside a mall near Central Park, a girl stands with her mother and father. The father wearing a casual white collared shirt and dark beige pants, mother in a red dress. The daughter had on much the same outfit she wore there two days ago, save one minor detail: her ears were adorned with small skull-and-crossbones earrings. Her name is Levanah Morgan. She's entered a local Gunpla tournament, looking for a chance at getting into the American championship and possibly even the 9th World Championship finals. And though she'd die trying to admit it, her entry there had another motive; impressing a guitarist girl she met that same Friday.

"Well... it's do or die time now." Levanah gulped, stepping forward through the mall's entrance.

"You sure you'll be fine, kiddo?" her father elbowed her arm gently. "Not too nervous about this?"

"Hah. Dad, really. I'll be fine." She looked to the side, noticing several people turning their heads towards her family. Or more specifically, her father. The people started whispering to themselves. Levanah smiled and sighed, commenting, "Besides, I think it'd be better if you stay on the sidelines. Don't wanna cause too many distractions, do you?" The man gave a loud laugh in reply, his wife chuckling slightly as well.

"Well well well, my little girl's growing up so fast. Doesn't need her parents' help anymore." the woman spoke, patting Levanah on the head. "Well when you meet that guitarist again, call me. I have all the embarrassing baby photos ready to share~"

"Mooooom!" the girl groaned, swatting her mother's arm away. The response only made the woman chuckle even louder. "Grugh... I'll see you both later." She placed both hands behind her head, walking away from her parents and towards the arcade, satchel swinging slightly at her side. Noticing her friends, Belle and Blair, she waved to them. They didn't respond, apparently talking with someone, so Levanah called out to them. They turned to face her and the girl's face went white upon seeing who they were talking to.

"Long time no see, Levanah." a short, bespectacled ginger girl spoke, a haughty smile across her lips accentuating the haughty tone of her voice. Small, dangling earrings and a necklace adorning her, both with red gems in them, making a quiet jingle as she walked forward. She wore a pink, sleeveless turtleneck, simple, tight red pants, and black boots. She ran her fingers through her long, slightly messy red hair. "Heard you were going to try and win this little tournament here, that true?"

Levanah spun around and attempted to walk off, the other girl grabbing her windbreaker to prevent her from doing so. Levanah slowly turned her head, forcing a smile. "H-h-hheey... R-Rin..."

"Relax, relax." The shorter girl released her grip on the windbreaker. "I'm not here to steal your thunder."

"Thanks..." the taller girl mumbled in response, slouching her shoulders slightly as she breathed out a sigh of relief. Levanah looked at the girl, legs trembling slightly. Rin Ivana, 15, someone she's known since childhood. One could say they were friends, perhaps even best of friends. But one would also have to say they were rivals, and fierce ones at that. A child prodigy, already working at a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, attending college in upstate New York. And though Levanah would hate to admit it, Rin was also a far better Gunpla Fighter. "Hey, what are you doing here anyway?" she questioned.

"Semester's over. I have a bit of time to myself, time to see my old friends again." Rin pulled Belle and Blair close, a wide, less haughty grin on her face. "So, still haven't answered my question."

"Heh, well, yeah... it's true." Levanah said, scratching the back of her head.

"Levvy made quite an impression on Friday, took out a Neo... um... Neo-Z..." Belle spoke up, but stopped halfway, trying to remember the name of the opponent's Gunpla.

"Neo-Zeong. Neo-Zeong 'Tyrant,' I believe its builder, Zack, called it." Blair finished for her, adjusting his glasses.

"Impressive." Rin commented, raising an eyebrow and adjusting her own glasses.

"Eh... not really. Fighter wasn't all that skilled, mostly relying on the power behind it to back himself up." Levanah shrugged. "Gave him some kit and tactical suggestions, and that's about it." Belle and Blair grinned upon hearing the last part of that sentence, looking at each other. Levanah glared at the both of them, only getting a smile in response.

"Well, I guess I'm rooting for you, Levanah." Rin's haughty tone returned with a vengeance. "Who knows, maybe you'll face ME in the Championships."

"Getting ahead of yourself as usual, I see." Levanah gave a pout, but finally chuckled lightly. "Some things never change. Well, I gotta get ready." She rushed into the arcade, to a short line behind a registration booth. Her and seven other people, five teens and two adults, were called to draw lots from a jar. Levanah smiling upon seeing hers. "Lucky number seven, huh?" she wondered aloud. Sure it meant having the last of the matches, but it also gave her an idea of what to expect from opponents, she reasoned.

On the Gunpla Battle Field, a bracket graphic formed, numbers one through eight with names displayed vertically underneath. Lights in the arcade dimmed, a sizable crowd now gathered around. A spotlight shined through onto a stage, lighting up the figure of Haley Jo, guitarist and announcer. She addressed the crowd, "Heeeellooooo New York! Are you ready for some rockin' Gunpla Battles?!" The crowd cheered in response, Levanah finding herself joining in, smiling wide. "All right, it's the moment you've all been waiting for! First match, Tom Davis and Ryo Romano!"

Two boys, both about 17, stepped forward. They seemed similar in disposition, wild black hair and sharp, somewhat upwards-pointed sideburns, Tom's being thinner and Ryo's being fuller. They were dressed simply, almost matching, only really notable feature distinguishing the two's outfits being Ryo's red scarf. The synthetic announcer called to them:

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GP BASE]

Both did so, and the announcer continued its calls. Haley strummed her guitar, her Extreme Gundam starting up, floating around her. The strums transformed into a beat, Haley started playing the first opening of G Gundam, "Flying in the Sky." Both fighters were ready, and the synthetic announcer made its final call:

[BATTLE START]

"Majin Zeta! Go!"

"Victory Getter! Shine!"

Highly customized variations on a Zeta Gundam and, unusually, a 1/100 scale Master Grade Victory Gundam, larger than most of the other High Grade Gunpla used in battles, blitzed towards one another across desert terrain. Rin edged her way through the crowd, closer to Levanah. She spoke quietly to her, "I hope you're ready to face people like these two. Because from this point on, everyone will have Gunpla with the same level of effort and dedication put into them, and," she paused to adjust her glasses again, "most likely the skills necessary to back it up."

"Yeah... but that's what makes it exciting, isn't it? Going against the best in the world..." Levanah replied, watching the battle intently. The fists of Majin Zeta launched from the arms, flying towards its opponent. Victory Getter reacted by splitting into its component Core, Top, and Bottom Fighters, all three dashing past the Zeta and recombining behind it, pulling out an appropriately sized Heat Hawk axe from the back. It slammed the weapon at the Zeta, but the strike was caught by the smaller Gunpla's returning arm, sinking in but not breaking through. A jab to the Victory's face blinded it temporarily, letting the Zeta get some distance, panels on the chest, right above the vents, opening to reveal hidden Beam Rifles. They fired relentlessly at the opponent, finally taking it down. The call was made:

[BATTLE ENDED]

The crowd cheered for the victor, who himself walked over to his opponent. Both smiled and laughed, bumping fists, complimenting each other on a good battle. Levanah smiled wide at the display. _That right there_, she thought to herself, _was the true essence of Gunpla Battle_.

"All right folks, Tom Davis is the winner! Let's give another round of applause for a fantastic battle!" Haley shouted, the crowd cheering again. The bracket returned to the Battle Field, Tom's name moving up. "Next match, Alonso Quixano and Raito Yamato! Fighters, please step up to the Battle Field!" An older man, dressed in a very well cared for military uniform and almost knight-like helmet, stepped forward, carefully holding a Nether Gundam seated on the top of a Fuunsaiki. Belle had to hold back laughter, seemingly one of the few in the crowd who got the older man's "joke." His opponent was a young man, no more than 18 or 19, of average height and build, well-combed brown hair matching his eyes, dressed in a very formal brown suit. His Gunpla was a white Sinanju, backpack modified with the feathery wings of Wing Zero Custom.

"Well, someone sees himself as the second coming of something." Blair snarked, frowning at the appearance of the younger man's Gunpla. "Hmph. And how very tacky." he added.

"He's confident, though. Look at that smug smile on his face." Rin pointed out, her voice tense.

"Sounds like someone I know." commented Levanah in return, gently elbowing Rin in the shoulder. Announcements continued, Haley starting to play the second opening to G Gundam, "Trust You Forever." Finally, the announcement was made:

[BATTLE START]

...the fight lasted 14 seconds. The Nether Gundam and its pilot didn't even have time to react as a single, small, almost invisible Funnel fired into the Gundam's chest. Two of the tournament's fighters forfeited on the spot, sulking away. They were followed by Alonso, look of disillusionment on his face. His opponent didn't even bother to look at him, carrying his undamaged Gunpla away. Haley seemed somewhat upset by the quick ending to the match, her Extreme Gundam sitting on her head.

Rin was glaring at the victor, gritting her teeth. "Levanah."

"Y-yes?" the taller girl almost jumped at hearing her name called.

"I want you to kick that guy's ass." the shorter girl commanded. The only response she got was a slightly nervous sigh from her friend. Raito sat down in a chair, a notebook in his hand, seemingly writing something in it. The tournament's bracket returned, adjusting for both the victory and forfeited entries. A sense of normalcy finally returned to the crowd, though whispers could be heard, seemingly declaring the tournament's winner ahead of time.

"W-well... um, since the fighters of the next match have left, we'll have to move on to the one after that! Next match is Levanah Morgan and Bit Richardson!" Haley announced to the crowd. Levanah stepped up to one side of the battle field, her opponent taking the side opposite. He was a boy about her age, average build with messy, short blonde hair, wearing an open red and white jacket, teal shirt underneath and dark blue pants. The smile on his face, at the very least, meant he was still confident in his abilities, even after the previous match's display.

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GP BASE]

Both fighters did so, Gunpla already out. Levanah's Crossbone X-7 held carefully as she looked at her opponent's Gunpla, a heavily modified, white BuCUE, head mostly replaced with something that seemed to be scratch-built, more armor reinforcing the limbs, and large claws added to the enlarged feet.

[FIELD 04: MOUNTAIN]

Both fighters grinned, Haley starting up another song, this time a song from Gundam SEED, "Zips."

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GUNPLA]

The kits were placed on their starting positions. Levanah spoke to her opponent, "You seem pretty confident. Not thinking of backing out like the other two?"

"It'll take more than some fancy tricks to scare off me and Liger!" he replied in a loud, proud voice.

[BATTLE START]

"Crossbone Gundam X-7! Launch!"

"BuCUE Liger! It's go time!"

The Crossbone's thrusters fired up, cloak fluttering. The BuCUE leaped from its starting position, running swiftly towards its opponent. The Gundam landed on a cliff, pulling out the flintlock-pistol-shaped Buster Gun with its left hand, giving it a little twirl as it looked for the approaching opponent. Finally spotting it, the Crossbone took aim and fired off several shots, but seemingly anticipating this the BuCUE dodged, firing the railguns on its back in retaliation.

The Crossbone managed to dodge, free hand gripping the Beam Zanber on its hip, dashing in the air above its opponent. What Levanah didn't see coming was the BuCUE leaping into the air to pursue her, Beam Sabers emitting from the claws, one in full swing. Thinking fast, she blocked with the Crossbone's Beam Zanber, holstering the Buster Gun in anticipation of the strike from the second set of Beam Claws. The BuCUE swung, but the Crossbone's I-field, emitted from the palm of the free hand, blocked it. She then attempted to lay down a barrage of close-range Vulcan fire, but this was cut short by a headbutt from the BuCUE's large, customized head, her Gundam's sensors momentarily dazed.

Levanah directed her Crossbone to slash upward with its Beam Zanber, breaking free from the BuCUE. Both Gunpla landed on the ground, staring each other down, slowly circling, waiting for the next move. In the blink of an eye they dashed at each other again, the custom maw of the BuCUE opening to reveal a layer of bladelike teeth. The Gundam dodged slightly, the only thing its opponent being able to grip was part of the fluttering cloak. Levanah used this to her advantage, releasing it from her Gunpla and causing the other MS to get caught up in it, giving a shout of "Ole!" as her Gundam spun around once. The claws of the Crossbone's Scissor Anchors flew out from its skirt armor, grapping the opponent's railguns and tearing them away, a Heat Dagger strengthened kick destroying them as the BuCUE toppled over in the Gundam's now vacant cloak.

Bit was disoriented, but only for a moment, quickly breaking the cloak apart. "Come on, Liger!" he roared, the Gunpla picking itself up and making another lunge, this time connecting with the Crossbone, maw biting down on one of the arms as its claws raised up again, Beam Sabers emitting from it. This time though, the Crossbone didn't attempt to block the strike, instead slashing at the limb itself, lobbing it off in a powerful strike. The crowd was pumped up, cheering over the intensity of the battle, quite a change from what it was like a few minutes ago.

"Grraaaahh!" Levanah roared, plunging the Beam Zanber into the BuCUE's body. The jaws of the Gunpla released their grip on the Crossbone's arm, Levanah pulling the Zanber out of the BuCUE, kicking the off her Gundam for good measure. Bit's Gunpla gave a small flash, an explosion following. With that moment, the announcer made the call:

[BATTLE ENDED]

Bit sighed a little, but kept smiling, walking over to get his Gunpla. Levanah walked over as well, the two congratulating each other on a fun match. "Damn, girl, that was great! You've got skill."

"You're a pretty good Gunpla Fighter yourself." The two shook hands, crowd still cheering. "Rare seeing someone using a BuCUE, but you handled it like a pro." Levanah complimented.

"What can I say? I stick with what I'm good at." he replied, looking at the damaged model. "Liger and I have been through a lot, had our fair share of losses, but we just keep coming back stronger than ever. We'll see you next time!"

Bit wandered into the crowd, a couple of his friends following. A strum of her guitar turned the crowd's attention towards Haley. After communicating with one of the organizers, she gave an announcement, "We have some downtime as we sort out the next fight, so fighters, make your necessary repairs. We will resume at 12:30!" Levanah breathed a sigh of relief, noticing Tom doing the same out of the corner of her eye, his friends gathering around him. Her own friends ran up to her, congratulating her on her win. Rin however, seemed slightly disappointed.

"I'd hoped you would have something a bit better prepared." the shorter girl said, fingers running through her red hair.

"What's wrong with my X-7?" Levanah asked defensively, frowning a little.

"It's... well, it's a good build. You've put a lot of time into it, but answer me this;" she leaned forward, adjusting her glasses, "do you believe it's really something that can get you to the Championships?"

"Aw Rinny, don't be mean." Bell poked her cheek gently.

"It's all right, Belle. I get what she's saying." Levanah sulked a little, looking at her Gunpla.

"Honestly, I was hoping you'd try something with that Crossbone Moretsu you made a while ago."

"That... I didn't really build it for battle." the taller girl blushed a little, playing with her ponytail.

"A shame, that has a good deal of potential. Still, you might want to give it a bit more... 'oomph' than what it already has." she turned her head to Raito again, glaring at him. "At least something to deal with... that. All you have at the moment is a small hodgepodge of standard Crossbone equipment."

"Hmm... I might have just the idea, Levanah." Blair finally spoke up, leading the group to a the hobby shop next door. It was crowded due to the number of people coming from the arcade, several teens and kids, and a few adults, purchasing model kits. Blair looked around, calling Levanah over when he found what he was looking for: a plethora of Bandai Hobby System Weapons. The girl whistled. "You'll probably find something here that can help out."

"Yeah... I think I will." Levanah scanned through the kits, Blair letting her be. She grabbed a couple and made a dash towards the cashier, going to work on repairs as soon as possible. She selected a couple new weapons, snap-builds for the moment, and made the necessary adjustments to her Gunpla's stats on her GP Base. Once she was satisfied with the results, she returned to the arcade, her friends waiting for her. However, before she could speak to them...

"Yo! Crossbone girl!" Haley called to her. Levanah spun around to face her. "So, since there's only three of you left, officials think this should end up a free-for-all. You think you'll be fine with a thr-" she stopped, catching herself before she said something that could be taken the wrong way, to the other girl's confusion. "Ahem, will you be ready for that?"

"I, I guess?" she responded nervously, blushing a little.

"All righty, I'll check with the other fighters then!"

"Um, a-also..." she got the guitarist's attention before she dashed off. "It... it's Levanah. Levanah Morgan." Haley stopped and looked at the girl, giving only a wink and a smile in response. The blush on her face went vibrant as she tried to figure out what it meant. Watching Haley leave, she let out a soft, somewhat happy sigh and turned back to her friends. The looks on their faces made Levanah try to hide her own. "Not. A. Single. Word." she demanded.

"No fun!~" Belle exclaimed, poking her friend's shoulder playfully.

"I won't say anything about this until after your battle's over. You've got enough to worry about." Rin promised, though the tone in which she said it didn't fill Levanah with confidence. Blair on the other hand just smiled silently, trying very hard to keep a chuckle from escaping his lips.

"Hhhrrrlgh..." Levanah groaned. She knew her friends were only teasing, but it didn't make it any less embarrassing. She took some time to calm herself down, taking a few quick gulps from her water bottle before heading back in. The other fighters were present, standing on different sides of the hexagonal Battle Field. Tom looked back and forth between them, giving each of his opponents a nod. Only Levanah returned the nod, Raito not even responding to the gesture. The crowd filtered back in as the clock ticked closer and closer to half-past noon.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Haley addressed the growing crowd. "We have a special treat for you today, the final match will be a free-for-all battle! Last fighter standing will be declared the winner!" The crowd cheered at this announcement, ready to see something aside from the usual one-on-one battles. "Fighters, are you ready?!" Levanah looked at her, nodding. Once more, a synthetic voice called to the fighters:

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GP BASE]


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gundam franchise. If I did, the RMSN-008 Bertigo would have at the very least gotten a High Grade kit by now.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Everyone Wishes for a "Finale"**

* * *

It's 12:30 in the afternoon on a Sunday, an arcade at a mall in New York City, and three Gunpla Fighters are about to go head-to-head in an all out match, to try and claim a chance at the American Championship. A large, excited crowd eagerly waiting for the tournament's final battle to begin, the Gunpla Battle Field stage set to a canyon at sunset. Tournament promoter and guitarist Haley Jo begins to play the first opening to Gundam 0083, "The Winner," though with the heavier guitar focus it sounded much closer to the Richie Kotzen cover. Each combatant gripped their holographic controls as they heard the call:

[BATTLE START]

"Crossbone Gundam X-7! Launch!"

"Majin Zeta! Go!"

"Sinanju Deus, engage."

The Gunpla of the fighters dashed forth from their starting positions, Levanah's Crossbone meeting the Zeta Gundam belonging to Tom Davis first. The Majin Zeta was similar to the baseline Zeta design, with some notable changes. The head was that of a modified GP-02 "Physalis" with the addition of a Beam V-fin instead of the standard one, the blue on the armor colored black, vents colored the same red as the chest's cockpit. The lower arms were larger than usual, with large boosters attached. Once in range for it, one of them separated from the Zeta and darted towards the opposing Gundam. Its pilot, a boy named Tom Davis, shouting at the top of his lungs, "ROCKET PUNCH!"

Thanks to the higher maneuverability of the Crossbone's X-shaped back thrusters, it dodged almost effortlessly, unleashing a barrage of Vulcan fire at the opponent. While it did little damage to the opposing Gundam, it managed to force it back a bit, flying fist returning to the Zeta. Both Gundams circled each other, dashing back to opposing sides of the canyon, trying to size each other up. Before either fighter could make another move, they both were alerted to the sound or weapons' fire, escaping in the nick of time. They turned to face their attacker, Raito Yamato's white Sinanju Deus, two almost invisible Funnels hovering around it, its four, feathery Wing Zero Custom wings splayed open, it apparent to both fighters now that there was a highly reflective material covering parts of them. It hovered in midair, as if daring them to try and attack it.

"Smug little..." Tom grunted, planting his Zeta's feet on the ground. The Beam V-fin began to glow brighter as he shouted out "VULCAAAAN BEEEEAAAAAM!" A torrent of beams flew from the Gunpla's head towards the Sinanju. Or rather, where the Sinanju used to be, as it had not only predicted the attack, but was already closing in overhead. Levanah took her chance, lunging at Raito's Gunpla with a kick, glowing red Heat Dagger jutting out from her Crossbone's foot. But Raito seemed to predict this as well, his Sinanju dodging that almost as effortlessly, the Crossbone flying over the Zeta, landing some distance away.

"The hell does this guy think he is, some kind of Newtype?" Tom asked aloud, trying to get the Sinanju back in visual range. As if in response, the clear Funnels started firing at the Zeta, a couple lucky shots disabling an arm and leg, forcing it into the air. It was a trap, as the glimmer of another clear Funnel filled the Zeta's viewscreen. It prepared to fire... and ended up riddled with Shot pellets. Tom looked down at the Crossbone, faint smoke coming from the barrel of a shotgun peaking out from its cloak. Raito seemed confused, as if what just happened was somehow not as planned.

"I'm guessing he does." Levanah commented to Tom, her Crossbone pumping its new shotgun. Two clear Funnels could be heard darting towards it, causing the girl to smirk. One took aim, the Crossbone firing off another round. The Funnel dodged, but was still hit by some of the passing pellets. The moment she saw sparks emit from the strike, she directed her Gundam to fire its flintlock-shaped Buster Gun, this shot meeting its mark, the Funnel exploding. Raito grit his teeth, trying to use the final clear Funnel to attack the Crossbone. A bombardment of beams came from the Zeta's chest to put an end to that plan. The crowd started to cheer uproariously at the intensity of the battle.

"Heh, seems thinking you're a Newtype can only get you so far." Levanah remarked. "Thanks, by the way."

"Had to return the favor." Tom replied, grinning smugly and scratching under his nose a little.

"Enough." Raito commanded in a low voice. The four feathery wings of his Gunpla spread open, a faint glow emanating from the reflective parts. As his opponents turned to him, the glow became vibrant. Few among the crowd could even begin to understand what was happening. One young girl, a friend of Levanah's named Rin, knew exactly what was going on.

"DODGE YOU MORONS!" she jumped up and screamed. Levanah and Tom tried, Levanah's Crossbone covering as much of itself with its cloak as it could, dropping its new weapon in the process. Panels opened on the Sinanju's chest to reveal a hidden Beam Cannon, bright flash was followed by a titanic beam ripping through the battlefield. The Crossbone escaped the brunt of the attack, cloak still burning away from the force of the beam, but the Zeta lost both legs, the remaining functional arm, and a portion of its lower body.

"Grrrah, damn... sorry, partner..." Tom spoke to his Gunpla, distraught, aware that he couldn't continue the fight in this state. He made it fly towards the edge of the battlefield, grabbing it off. The crowd was awestruck, some of Tom's friends coming over to his side. Among Levanah's friends, Belle turned to the others and asked what just happened in an extremely nervous tone of voice.

"I can't..." Blair spoke in disbelief, "that was... a Satellite Cannon, but, without a moon in the sky? And how can a Sinan-"

"I warned her about this." Rin said, gritting her teeth. "This is but a fraction of what the world's best Gunpla Fighters are capable of." She looked at Raito, glaring at him upon seeing a smug grin upon his face.

Raito laughed, addressing his remaining opponent, "You might as well give up now, girl. Everything has gone just as planned. I've-"

"Like hell it has! My Crossbone Gundam isn't just for show!" Levanah roared defiantly, a spark in her eyes, gripping the controls hard and directing her Gundam to start blitzing forward. The wings of Raito's Sinanju began to glow again, viewscreen locking onto the Crossbone.

"Hmph. Persistent brat." The light became harsh as the Gundam dashed closer and closer to its opponent. Right as the Sinanju seemed to finish charging, Levanah directed her Crossbone to lob smoke grenades at the opponent, ducking down and causing the Sinanju to lose its lock. Raito tried to readjust the aim, but as the smoke began to clear the Crossbone made another dash towards it, open mouth vent giving the impression the Gundam itself was roaring. In the background, "The Winner" was about to hit its final verse.

"RRRAAAAAAAGH!" Levanah herself let out a battle cry, sweat dripping down her brow. The Crossbone's Heat Daggers stabbed into its opponent's legs, preventing them from moving, grappling the cannon in the Sinanju's chest with both hands, taking Raito by surprise. "HEAT!" Her Gunpla clamped down on the cannon as it lit up, I-Fields activating. "_END!_" The force of the I-Fields combined with the crushing grip of the Crossbone's palms forced the energy back into the cannon. Without a second to lose, Levanah had her Gundam release its grip on its opponent and dash back as quickly as possible, Raito in shock as he witnessed his Gunpla overload and explode in a dazzling flash. At long last, the announcer declared:

[BATTLE ENDED]

The crowd was awestruck, silent. Levanah breathed out a deep sigh of relief, looking up at Haley. The guitarist nodded at her, speaking, "Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a huge round of applause for a fantastic battle, and for the Tournament winner, Levanah Morgan!" The audience applauded, cheered, and roared, Levanah walking over to Tom, both exchanging a nod.

"That was an awesome battle." the girl said to him, offering a high-five.

"Damn right it was." he said back, accepting it. Both then turned towards Raito, who seemed oddly calm as he collected his broken Gunpla. Levanah tried to compliment his skill, but he interrupted before she could even start.

"You have won. Nothing else needs to be said." he stated in a very matter-of-fact tone, walking off, a younger girl coming up beside him, possibly his sister based on how similar they looked. The other two fighters shrugged and were pulled away by their friends, partly to congratulate them, partly to shield them from the loud, adoring crowd. Time passed, and after the two fighters gave model kit and Gunpla Battle advice to a few especially eager folks from the crowd, a sense of normalcy returned to the arcade, former audience slowly filtering out, most of them heading towards the nearby hobby store. Eventually, Haley approached the winner.

"Well, here you are, this will get you into the American championship." she flashed a card and handed it to Levanah. "It works with your GP Base, so you'll need both in order to enter. It'll be starting next Saturday, so don't be late!"

"Got it." she nodded, accepting the card. "So, um..." Levanah twirled her ponytail a little, looking away to try to hide a blush. Her friends backed up a bit, but the looks on their faces made it clear they were intent on seeing this play out, quietly giggling. "Are you... uh, up to anything else today?"

"Not 'till like, 6 tonight, another gig at that arcade." she responded. Haley then leaned forward, smiling wide. "Why you ask?"

"W-well..." she scratched the back of her neck, her voice quivering slightly. "W-would you like to get some lunch or something?"

"Sure! I'm famished." the guitarist replied, rubbing her stomach a bit.

"R-really?" Levanah's voice almost cracked, surprised at how blunt and matter-of-fact she said it.

"Why not? I could reeeeeeaally go for some tacos."

"Ah... um... s-sure!"

"Well, come on!" Haley grabbed Levanah by the arm, pulling her with as she made a dash towards the mall's food court. Levanah looked back at her friends, all three waving and smiling at her. She could swear she heard them telling her to have fun, but was out of earshot by the time she noticed. Finally finding the strength to walk on her own, she looked up at the girl holding her arm. _Just what have I gotten myself into?_ Levanah thought to herself.

The girls arrived at a taco shop in the mall's food court, Haley ordering a plate of shrimp tacos for them to share, Levanah getting them both sodas. They found a table to booth to sit at, and began some small talk.

"W-well, um... I'm still rather curious about that Extreme Gundam you have. How exactly are you controlling that thing?"

Haley grinned and patted her guitar case. "This here is the key. It's basically like, one big GP Base. All the songs are loaded into it, and the Gunpla follows along. I control it by playing each song." She then stopped to scratch the back of her head, laughing a little. "That's the easy part, though, hard part for me was actually learning all the songs. A number of them work out pretty well, but others... well, let's just say it took a lot of practice to get 'Moon's Cocoon' to sound right."

Levanah giggled a little. "I can imagine. So, you know quite a lot of the Gundam franchise, then?"

"Decent amount." the other girl nodded. "Not really as familiar with a lot of the manga or novels or other such side-stories, but I've managed to get through pretty much all the anime."

"What's your favorite, then?" the brunette girl questioned, taking a sip of her soda.

"Ah... well, it's G." the guitarist replied in a far more subdued tone, breaking eye contact. "Can kinda thank my dad for that, was... his favorite one too. He... used to have my kid brother and I watch it with him all the time." She became quiet, eyes looking down at her drink.

"S-sorry... I didn't..." Levanah apologized, realizing what the other girl's usage of the past tense meant.

"It's all right. Just... been a while since I last thought about it."

"R-right... so, um... you have other family, then?"

"Well, aside from my little bro and grandma back home in Cali, also got an uncle and cousin here in New York. Currently staying with them." she replied, voice returning to normal.

"Ah, all right. Been here long, then?" Levanah took another sip from her soda, then eating one of the tacos.

"Let's see... been about, a month now? 's about when I met the Yajima spokespeople and got this gig." Haley then crossed her fingers, leaning her chin against them. "So, how about you? I can already tell you're a local here, and I'm guessing your favorite Gundam series is Crossbone."

"Hah, right on the money." the brunette replied with a wide smile, finger twirling one of her bangs. "Lived here most of my life with my parents, save the four years my dad was in DC."

"Huh." Haley verbalized, as if trying to connect some things together in her mind. "Well, seems you have quite a few good friends too." she commented before taking a bite out of a taco, looking past Levanah to three figures sitting in the distance. Levanah turned her head, seeing her friends Belle, Blair, and Rin sitting together, attempting to look nonchalant. Levanah pouted and blushed a little, glaring at them. All three smiled at her in response, causing her to sigh and turn attention back to Haley.

"I guess you could say that. A bit... nosy sometimes, but... yeah. Good friends." she tried to hide her face, devouring the taco she took a bite out of previously.

Haley giggled, "They could just be looking out for you. Maybe they're trying to make sure a friend of theirs doesn't do something crazy, like hook up with a person she's known for less than a week."

Levanah almost choked after hearing that, her face bright pink. "W-well, maybe she's trying to get to know that person first! See if... they have any common interests..." she protested, looking away. Another giggle from Haley drew her eye contact back. She rubbed the back of her neck, asking shyly and nervously, "I-is... is it, um, really that obvious?"

"Girl, you could see it from the Colonies." the guitarist replied, laughing.

"Gah... d-damn it..." Levanah grumbled, her head hanging low in embarrassment. "S-sorry..."

"What for? Honestly, it's kinda cute how you were trying to hide it, thinking people wouldn't notice." Haley said to the younger girl, pulling the her head back up by the rim of her hat.

"C-c-cute?"

"Yup." Haley's wide smile seemed to stretch from ear to ear.

"D-does that mean..?"

"What do you think it means?" she giggled, poking the other girl's nose. "You DID kinda ask me out on a date already, didn't you?"

"W-well..." Levanah sunk back into her seat, awkwardly trying to finish her drink as she collected her thoughts. She looked at Haley quietly. She obviously found the other girl to be quite attractive, and so far her awkward attempts at flirting with Haley hadn't scared her off yet, not to mention their common interests. _Maybe..._ _maybe this can really work..._ she thought to herself, pulling out her cellphone.

"My my, so forward now. A little bit of confidence and you become very set on getting what you want~" Haley teased, pulling out her own phone. Both girls exchanged numbers, finally finishing their lunch.

"So um... I'll see you again some time soon?" Levanah asked, more confidence in her voice now.

"Sure thing. Just don't try to rush me into meeting your father or anything." the older girl replied jokingly.

"Too late." a man addressed the two from a short distance away. Both turned to the voice, Levanah hanging her head as Haley's jaw dropped. "Hello Miss, I'm Mike Morgan, Levanah's father." He extended his hand towards Haley, the girl clumsily shaking it, jaw still hanging open.

"Daaaaaad!" the younger girl complained, trying to push him away, causing her father to laugh. "H-how long have you been there?"

"Barely a minute. Still, congrats." he answered hid daughter, patting her on the head.

"Hurrrgh... I'm sorry about this..." Levanah turned to the speechless older girl.

"Sure you don't want me to get your mother over here, kiddo? She still has all the embara-"

"NO!" Levanah protested and shoved again. "I'll see you again, Haley!"

"R-right... see you..." she mumbled back. Levanah and her father walked off, the man apparently still teasing her. As they left, Haley vocalized her own thoughts, as if trying to make sure the idea sounded as ludicrous as it seemed; "I'm dating a former President's daughter?!"

* * *

Two people walk through a crowded mall, talking with each other. One of them is the runner-up to a Gunpla Battle tournament that took place less than half an hour ago, Raito Yamato. With him was his sister, a much shorter brunette girl, 15 at the most, dressed in a plain white, buttoned shirt and kaki pants. She was frowning at him, apparently upset at his loss.

"You should have been able to stop that, brother." the girl sniped, disappointment in her voice.

"I could see the particles' flow, but her reaction time was higher than expected." he defended.

"Or yours was too slow to be able to counter it effectively. Still, at this point it won't matter. What's happened has happened. You'll have to be transferred under Ariel's command."

"Hmph. Favoritism." Raito grunted.

"Oh hush." she snapped, pouting. "Still, we have Ms. Mul here in America, and Mr. Radson in England."

"Marke? Won't he have to fight Julian? Are you sure he's capable of matching someone so close to the Meijin's skill level?" Raito questioned, obviously concerned about such a matchup.

"He'll have to be. We need as many of us in the Finals as possible." his sister replied, scratching her chin.

"And what of the Champion? Do you really think we can convince Iori Sei of our cause, Meri?"

The girl became silent, lost in thought. Her face was now dead serious, eyes almost soul-piercingly focused as she looked to her brother. Finally she responded, "If we have the power to make a difference, we should put it to good use. Even he will have to understand this."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I still don't own the rights to the Gundam franchise, and most likely will not in the foreseeable future. If I did, there would be a sequel or two to MS Saga by now.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Don't Fear Hurting Your Pride!**

* * *

"Come on Crossbone, you can do this!" a brunette girl shouted, frantically moving the controls for her Gunpla. It dodged incoming fire, but only barely. Backing up past an empty building, trying to keep its profile as low as possible, it pumped its shotgun. Warnings flared up as sensors detected the opponent approaching. It spun around, trying to get a visual... and was immediately shot down by a barrage of rifle fire.

[BATTLE ENDED]

"That makes eight to two." an Asian boy wearing a track suit commented, adjusting his glasses.

"I noticed, Blair! Grah... damn it..." the brunette girl, dressed in a simple navy blue shirt and white shorts, snapped at him, clearly upset over her poor performance. She hung her head and sighed.

"At this rate you'll never be ready for the American Championship, Levanah." a redheaded girl wearing a yellow sundress said in a tone of disappointment. It was 10:30 AM, a Wednesday morning. Levanah had been trying to get some practice in for the upcoming Gunpla Battle American Finals. If she wanted any chance of making it to 9th World Championship finals in Japan, she would need to hone her skills as much as she could. And the last ten battles against her old rival, Rin Ivana, made it clear to her just how much she'd need.

"I know, I know..." Levanah spoke, voice heavy with an implied admission of defeat, looking at her Crossbone Gundam X-7. Even with Rin going for minimal damage, it was already suffering from some wear and tear. She then looked over at her opponent's Gunpla, a customized Airmaster, colors painted off-white, somewhat vanilla shade, much of the original red on it gone, with what was left being far more vibrant and bright. Its head was replaced with a Jegan's, painted a matching color, visor changed to a strikingly vivid green. This was especially noticeable because any damage on it was superficial at best.

"If you keep this up you'll never be able to face me in Japan." Rin remarked, taking her glasses off and cleaning them.

"Wait..." Levanah looked up, finding the comment odd. "I thought you were going to be in the American Championships?"

Rin grinned, putting her glasses back on. "I guess I didn't explain properly then. By the end of today, I'll be Yajima's representative for the 9th Gunpla Battle World Championship."

"..._what?!_" the taller girl exclaimed. "When did this happen?!"

"I haven't heard anything of this either. As far as I know, Dr. Neilson is still supposed to be their representative." Blair said, suspicious of Rin's claim.

"My qualifier, Blair. Currently, he still is." Rin's grin grew devilish. "But he won't be for long."

"...you're kidding. Rin, look, you're good and all but... Nils Neilson?" Levanah questioned, getting her Crossbone from the Battle Field. The question caused the shorter girl to laugh almost maniacally, as if she expected it, word-for-word.

"Haahaha, oh I'm more than ready. In fact, you should come along, it'd be a good learning experience for you." she answered, her voice noticeably smug and haughty. "You too, Blair."

"Hmnh. Almost wish I could, but I've got other plans. Plus Belle's invited me over to play some videogames."

"Hot date, huh?" Levanah teased.

"Har har. Speaking of, what about you? Don't you have any plans with Haley? You seemed very invested in a text conversation before Rin got here." Blair inquired.

Levanah blushed a little, smiling. "Well, not today... she's actually gonna be over at my house for a while tomorrow, we'll be working on some Gunpla together. She had some ideas on adding new 'band members.'" she said, fingers making air quotes.

"...'band members.'" Blair repeated, mimicking her air quotes, trying to guess as to what that entailed.

"Her words, not mine." Levanah said with a chuckle.

"...right then. Anyway, I should probably get going." the Asian boy commented, shrugging as he began walking off, deciding that he'd find out what a "Gunpla Band" would look like sooner or later, waving to his friends and walking off, both girls waving back to him.

Rin turned to Levanah, her elbow nudging the taller girl's arm. "So, it's right at noon that we've got it scheduled. You better be there, if you want even a chance of making it to Japan."

"I'll let dad know. He'll probably get a kick out of it as well." Levanah replied, taking out her cellphone.

"...no comeback? You're getting soft." Rin noted as she placed both hands behind her head.

"Is that what you think?" she said with a smirk. "Well, it's not every day a girl gets to see her old rival get her ass handed to her by one of the world's best Gunpla Fighters. Gonna need some witnesses."

"There's the Levanah I know!" she made a gentle jab at the other girl's shoulder, both of them laughing.

* * *

11:40, Yajima Holdings' New York Office. A somewhat unassuming building with a view of Harlem River. Levanah and her father are directed towards an elevator, taking them up a couple stories, and then towards a large room. Inside is a Gunpla Battle Terminal connected to several monitors, computers, and a plethora of other expensive-looking equipment. Standing on one side is Rin, and the moment her friend laid eyes on her she nearly bursts out laughing.

"Oh wow... wow, Rin, what are you... are you _cosplaying_?" the taller girl exclaimed, pointing to her.

"Shut it, _Kaizoku_." the redhead snapped. The accusation was true, though. A black headband, large, golden orb earrings, pink shirt with a white trim and a stripe of yellow across the chest, pink leggings leading into tall, light-grey boots that matched her gloves. She even had a pair of oversized black and gold pauldrons leading into a black cape, interior a shade of grey. A pair of highly decorated belts completed the image, the only noticeable deviation in the "character" of the getup being the girl's red-framed glasses. Levanah's laughing slowly faded, Rin glaring at her with a look that could frighten dragons.

"No rampaging monsters you have to take down? No glittering treasure you have to claim? I guess that just leaves an enemy rising to face you." the brunette teased, still chuckling softly.

"Laugh and joke all you want, but victory _will_ be mine." she declared, a smug, confident grin on her face.

"Well now I _have_ to see what you did for your Gunpla."

"You'll see soon enough." Rin said, running her fingers through her hair. As if on cue, the door opened again, four figures walking in, two adults and two teenagers. The couple of men were dressed in a simple white lab coats, thick, black-rimmed glasses on their faces, notepad in the hands of one. One of the teens, a blonde girl with her hair up in drill-like curls, wore a stylish orange, white, and black dress, heeled boots matching it, and black gloves. One Caroline Yajima, her arms around one of the other teen's. An African-American boy with very dark, brownish-black dreadlocks, wearing an open lab coat over a very formal black and white suit, red tie pulling the look together. Dr. Nils Neilson, the "Early Genius," though some would know him as "Samurai Boy."

"Rin Ivana, long time no see." Nils spoke to her politely.

"If you think a week is a long time, sure, Professor Nils Neilson. Well, I guess I can drop the formality here... Nils." she said, looking over at Caroline. "And what's this, can't battle without your girlfriend here for support?"

"Fiancé." Caroline piped up with a haughty giggle, causing Nils to sigh.

"Fiancé, huh? Kids these days..." Mike commented, causing everyone's attention to turn to him, the newly arrived group of people gawking.

"...Rin, would you mind explaining?" the boy questioned.

"Huh? Oh, Nils and company, my friend and old rival, Levanah, and her father, Mike Morgan. Levanah here is in the American Championships starting up Saturday. I invited her in order to demonstrate just what the best Gunpla Fighters are capable of." the redhead replied in a very casual, matter of fact tone, as if it were nothing especially notable.

"I... see." Nils muttered, still looking at the somewhat imposing figure. To him it seemed almost surreal, seeing a former US President and his daughter here in such a casual manner.

"Pleasure to meet you, kiddo." Mike offered his hand to Nils, the boy shaking it. He then did the same for the other two men. He offered an apology to Caroline for greeting her last, the girl clumsily shaking his hand, trying not to gawk at the man.

"Let's get this started, shall we?" Rin asked, a slightly impatient look on her face. She obviously had something to prove.

"Of course, but remember that this isn't just for the sake of a Gunpla Battle..." Nils smiled, taking out his Gunpla. Similar to his Segoku Astray, it had reinforced armor plates, additional skirt armor that seemed similar to the shoulder armor, and a plethora more weapons.

"Both a demonstration of programming skill and testing the limits of Plavsky Particles..." Rin smirked devilishly, eyes aflame with anticipation. "Perfect excuse for the debut of my G-Sorceress Gundam!" The girl placed her Gunpla down for all to see, Levanah noticeably forcing herself from laughing after looking at its appearance. The head and arms taken from the G-Arcane, hands with some sort of detail similar to the Destiny's "Palma Fiocinas," the torso a somewhat slimmed down version of the Rising Gundam's. Skirt armor and upper legs modified slightly from Nobel Gundam's, lower legs unlike the other parts in that they originated from the Tallgeese. Contrasting the rest of its somewhat slender appearance were its large shoulder armor pauldrons, matching those of its builder, a cape that seemed to be made of black nylon flowing from them, obscuring its lack of a backpack. Its colors matched Rin's outfit closely, and unusually, there were small crystals embedded in the wrists and chest instead of more plastic. Those crystals caught the attention of Nils.

"I'm still not convinced of that theory of yours, Rin. My research on hasn't shown Plavksy Particles reacting with 'normal' gemstones in any consistent manner, much less a useful one." the boy shrugged.

"It's still too limited to make such blanket statements. After all, that's what experimentation is for, isn't it?" Rin replied, moving her glasses closer to her face. "Right now, they may just be decoration, but by this battle's end, they could be a real game-changer."

Levanah looked to her father, whispering, "Dad, are you understanding any of this?"

"Rin thinks she can harness space magic particles with crystals, the boy thinks she's crazy." he whispered back jokingly.

"Methinks she's taking the cosplay a bit too far..." the girl snarked, hands on the back of her neck. "Guess it can't be helped at this point. Might as well let the crazy fangirl have her fun."

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GP BASE]

Both Fighters stepped up to the Battle Field, GP Bases set. The two scientists walked to some of the equipment, one starting up a program on one of the computers.

[BEGINNING PLAVSKY PARTICLE DISPERSAL]

Caroline walked over to a seat near Nils' side, Levanah and her father standing by Rin's as they watched the bluish glow of Plavsky Particles fill the Battle Field.

[FIELD 03: FOREST]

A cherry blossom forest appeared on the Battle Field. Nils and Rin both had eager smiles on their faces.

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GUNPLA]

The modified Sengoku Astray was placed on Nils' side, the boy gripping the control holograms. Rin seemed to whisper "good luck" to her Gunpla before placing it down, smiling at it like a mother smiling at her newborn daughter.

[BATTLE START]

"Sengoku Astray Asura! Launch!"

"G-Sorceress Gundam, let's show them what we can do!"

Both Gunpla dashed out of their starting positions, Rin's making a flip in the air and landing at an opening in the forest, standing up and crossing its arms, cape fluttered slightly. Nils' came to the ground a short distance away, axe and hammer in its hands, a spear and club held in the shoulder armor next to the katanas, skirt armor seemingly holding a rifle and trident. The large number of armaments on the Sengoku Astray Asura contrasted the noticeable lack of them on the G-Sorceress, only a stylized beam saber present on the one of the pieces of hip armor. But such appearances are always deceiving, Nils keeping his guard up in anticipation of this.

"Don't think you'll impress me with simple tricks, Rin." the boy warned, eyes keeping track of the opponent's every movement.

"Hah, there's nothing 'simple' about this!" the girl boasted, directing one of her Gunpla's arms up, palm splayed open. "Frost Strike!" A bluish-white jolt of energy flew from the open palm, Nils almost instinctively having his Astray block it with the hammer. When it connected, however, the tiny jolt expanded into a massive shard of ice, the sudden increase in mass causing Nils' Gundam to stumble slightly. He stared for a moment, then slammed the hammer on the ground, breaking the ice off. The two Gunpla began to circle each other, both on their guard.

"I'm guessing that was just a demonstration, right? Showing off for the audience." Nils questioned, giving a quick look towards the three spectators before turning it back to the Battle Field, ready to strike the moment his opponent made a move. "But I'd rather you take this seriously, Rin."

"Hey, she deserves to stretch her limbs a bit." Rin replied, sticking out her tongue as she made a point of showing off the G-Sorceress' mobility, jabbing at the air, flexing and stretching the arms and legs, side-stepping a bit while still keeping her distance. But in an instant, the Gunpla's hand splayed open again, Rin shouting another command, "Gaia Brand!" Another jolt of energy flew out, a yellowish tint to it. Unlike the previous one, it wasn't aimed at the opponent, but rather, the ground it was standing on. The Astray dashed back swiftly, but not swiftly enough, the ground erupting in an explosion that knocked the hammer out of its hands and a noticeable portion of the forest. One of the pieces of shoulder armor folded out, giving its spear to the now empty hand and grabbing the blade resting slightly above it.

"I expected better." Nils mumbled under his breath, directing his Astray to dash forward, intending to meet the opponent. The shoulder-armor arm slashed at the air, a blue crescent launched from it. Rin's Gunpla grabbed its cape, covering it in response. The crescent collided and dispersed, the G-Sorceress standing its ground. As the distance between the two grew smaller and smaller, both fighters let out a battle cry. Each active limb of the Astray made a flurry of strikes towards its opponent. A bright flash occurred. None connected. The audience of three seemed confused as the Astray stopped in front of the G-Sorceress. Nils, however, was shocked, trying to get his Gunpla to move as Rin's dashed backwards. Control returned after a few seconds, the Astray getting some distance again.

"Seems I wasn't the only one holding back, Nils Neilson." the girl said with a haughty tone.

"I didn't expect you to have gotten that skilled at using the Particle Fa Jin." he responded, eyes now full of determination. "A mistake I won't make again." The Astray pointed its blade towards its opponent.

"Then let's kick things up a notch!" Rin shouted, G-Sorceress grabbing and activating its beam saber, the blade glowing a lively bright blue. It dashed at its opponent, Nils having his Astray blitz forward in response. Once in range, the two Gunpla began slashing, stab, thrust, and strike at each other. They moved like flowing water, the Astray now utilizing four "limbs" parrying and dodging with them in a manner as almost elegant as it was ferocious. In spite of being outnumbered in armaments, the G-Sorceress was skillfully dodging and parrying each strike, not giving an inch of ground to its opponent, cape being utilized as a sort of shield, blocking the few strikes that its blade couldn't. To the onlookers it was apparent now that there were tiny, flat blocks of plastic kept in place under the nylon fabric.

Levanah watched the battle with a bit of awe. In spite of appearances, it crystal clear to her just how serious Rin was about this battle, as if she had something more on the line than just the prize at the end. Victory was secondary to proving the capabilities, the "worthiness" of her Gunpla, as something that could stand on equal ground among legends. And in addition to all that, there was another layer to it all, plain as day from the look on the ginger girl's face; this battle was _fun_ to her. Exhilarating. If there was even a hint of fear at losing, at getting the Gunpla she worked so hard on damaged beyond repair, she was completely ignoring it. For a good half a minute, the two kept trading blows, neither one backing down, both managing to take no more than superficial damage.

* * *

_Well, they're certainly taking their sweet time..._a man in a lab coat thought silently, eyes fixed on a computer screen. A rumble of his cellphone broke his focus. Carefully, he pulled it from his lab coat, making sure no one was watching. To his relief they were still focused on the fight. He glanced down at it, a single sentence of text on the screen:

[You're running out of time, hurry up.]

He sighed silently, sending a reply:

[Too conspicuous. Would need a distraction at this point.]

_That girl can be so pushy sometimes._ He went back to the computer screen, discretely sliding the phone back into his pocket. Another rumble alerted him to another message. He didn't expect a reply so soon. He gave another glance, eyes going wide when he saw what it said:

[You'll get one.]

* * *

In the blink of an eye, Rin seemed to glance a moment of opportunity, and took it. "Fireball!" she shouted, a bright orange sphere jetting out of her Gunpla's palm. Nils managed to block it, but the force of the impact knocked away his Astray's spear. Both fighters backed up their Gunpla again, taking a breather. Rin looked at Levanah, smirking a bit and giving a nod. Nils gave a glance towards Caroline, the girl's face displaying a bit of annoyance, the boy forcing a smile in return. Both fighters turned their attention back to the Battle Field.

"It's impressive you've improved this much, Rin. However..." the shield on the Astray's back seemed to open, a faint glow surrounding it. "...it's not enough."

"Spare me, this battle's far from over. Prepare y-" Rin was interrupted by a barrage of warnings. The warnings popped up on Nils' side as well, the frantic beeping momentarily breaking their train of thought. A flurry of beams sprayed towards them, tearing up much of the forest in the process, the fighters managing to avoid them with minimal damage. They looked towards their attackers, at least two dozen bluish-grey, dragon-shaped Mobile Suits, among their number some black variants, bulkier green ones, and conspicuously a few Core Fighters flying among their ranks. Levanah, Mike, and Caroline had all stood up and taken a step or two closer to the Battle Field, wondering what was going on.

"Vagan Mobile Suits? The hell is going on?" the brunette girl asked.

"Nils if this is your idea of a joke..." Rin growled, gritting her teeth.

"They attacked me too!" the boy protested. Warnings flared up again, both fighters having more time to react for this onslaught. They seemed to be in the clear, but they noticed at the end of it two gigantic beams launching at them from an object somewhat behind the fleet of Mobile Suits. The beams were a distinctive mix of red and blue in color. As they all looked up, they saw a titanic form, a ship appropriately scaled for all of the combatants.

"It can't be..." Levanah said in disbelief. "The Archangel?!"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to the Gundam franchise. If I did, the Gihren's Ambition series would have been localized by now.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Change Idle Days to Glorious Ones**

* * *

"Seems we will have to postpone this battle, Rin." Nils Neilson said with a sigh, moving his holographic controls slightly, selecting an option that read "Abort Battle." The redhead he was speaking to frowned, but seemed to understand what he meant, looking at the Gunpla Battle Field now swarmed with Vagan Mobile Suits, the looming, menacing figure of the appropriately scaled Archangel hovering slightly above them. Nils tapped the button.

[BATTLE ABORR-T-t-tteeeeeee ABORT CANCELED]

Nils' eyes went wide. He tapped the button again. The same broken response. The spectators of the battle looked at him, confusion and worry on their faces. Levanah reached her hand into the hologram, trying to interrupt it manually. Again, the same broken response. The brunette looked at the redhead, as if she would have some solution to this situation. The sound of weapons firing again caused both combatants to swerve their Gunpla out of the way, a couple of the stray beams striking the hand of the older girl.

"YEAGH! OW!" Levanah recoiled, pulling her hand from the hologram. The pain wasn't excruciating, barely more painful than a few small sparks flung at a person from a campfire, but fact that it was there was made it feel worse than it really was. She looked at her hand, tiny red marks from where the beams hit. Her father looked at it as well, the girl reassuring that she was mostly fine. "Yegh... well, can't... can't say I was expecting that."

"Yes, it was almost like leaving your hand in the middle of an active battle with Unknown Enemies is a bad idea." Rin remarked critically, still avoiding the opposing force's weapons' fire. Levanah glared at her for it, but said nothing in return, the girl's father turning his attention to the two scientists, asking if they could do something. This situation seemed like it was getting more and more bizarre by the minute. The cannons on the Archangel fired again, Nils countering them wit a slash from his Astray's blades, Rin having her Gunpla cover him, managing to take out a group of the Vagan Mobile Suits in the process.

Caroline finally spoke up, her voice filled with something between rage and contempt, directed towards the interrupting party, "I don't know WHO you people think you are, but I will not tolerate this any longer." She slammed her GP Base down on the side next to Nils, gritting her teeth, placing her Knight Gundam on the launch position. "Nobody interrupts MY fiancé's battles and tries to make a fool of him!" Nils looked at her, the expression on his face a balance of appreciation and fear, with a hint of embarrassment. "Caroline Yajima, Knight Gundam, launch!" The small Gundam burst from its starting position, dashing into battle, making its entrance known by planting its sword in the back of a Gafran, a slice cleaving it in two. She then directed it down towards Nils' Astray, the boy trying to hide a smile.

"Lovebirds, above you!" Rin shouted, drawing their attention to two bukly, vaguely dragon-shaped figures closing in fast, a pair of Baqtos. The skirt armor on Nils' Gunpla unfolded into two extra limbs, a rifle gripped tight by one of them. A series of slashes and barrage of rifle fire made short work of one of the Baqtos, Caroline opting to simply dash up and decapitate the other, kicking it to the ground, a wide, smug grin across her face as it exploded.

"Well, the good news is that they don't exactly have skilled pilots." the boy commented, spear piercing a Gafran while the rifle fires at another trying to sneak up behind him. "Nor well-built."

"They're snap-built grunts, and a significant portion seem to be remotely controlled." Rin noted, a fireball engulfing a few of her opponents, causing them to crash into each other and detonate. "My guess..." she turned her Gunpla's head up, facing the looming Archangel, "is that whoever is controlling them has set up shop on that ship." She smirked devilishly, mind coming up with a plan as she addressed her friend, "Levanah, think you can cover me? I've got an... idea... on how to stop it. Heh heh heh, guess it'll live up to its name after all..."

"...'Live up to its-' ...Rin, you didn't." the brunette responded accusingly.

"Are you going to help me or not?"

"Ugh. You crazy fangirl..."

* * *

[That's one hell of a distraction.]

A somewhat tall, slender girl, no more than 16 years old, looks down at her cellphone, a subdued smile on her face. She then places it in her pocket and turns her attention back to a pair of holographic controls. The girl has long, carefully brushed black hair, eyes a brownish hazel color. She is dressed in what looks like a proper military uniform, though not one not associated with any nation or even recognizable paramilitary group. A very formal black and dark teal, red highlights contrasting the darker colors. From the pins on her collar, it was apparent that she had a high rank.

"Captain, we've lost most of Squad 3, Squad 4 taking heavy losses." piped up a man dressed in a uniform matching the girl's, though lacking the extra decorations on his collar. He was sitting at a specialized desk, a miniature Gunpla Battle Terminal in front of him, several of the Vagan MS on it, several screens surrounding them. Five other individuals were seated close to him, all dressed the same, same terminals and Gunpla

"Continue to hold them off as long as you can. Our purpose here is to provide a distraction, so keep them away from the ship as long as you can." she commanded, looking down at a model in front of her. It was massive, nearly 3 meters in length, sitting on a specialized terminal.

"Squad 2 has engaged the Astray and Knight Gundams, keeping to long range fire for as long as possible."

"Put pressure on the other Gundam, we'll need to-" the girl was interrupted by a door opening, walking in a young man with brown hair, dressed like the others. "Ah, Raito Yamato, just in time."

"Captain." he saluted her, his a hint of disappointment present. "What is the current situation?"

"We're a distraction." the girl said with a smile. Raito did not appreciate the reply, letting out a sigh. "We have a few extra terminals, I assume you have your Gunpla prepared already?"

"Affirmative." he replied, showing his new Gunpla to her; a heavily modified Deathscythe, wings being black-painted, modified versions of the Wing Zero Custom's feathery appendages. "Is there something you wish for me to handle? I see that you're facing some-"

"Captain, another Gundam has entered the field. It appears to be a Crossbone... seems it already has minor damage to it?"

Raito's attention turned to the screen displaying the battle for the girl, eyes wide, clenching his fist and gritting his teeth. "_Her_..." he muttered silently, looking in the direction of the captain. "I request that I be allowed to engage these fighters directly, Captain."

"Directly? Why would..." the girl stopped herself, thinking. _This could play towards our advantage_. She noticed Raito's change in attitude. _If they focus on him, our true objective can be obscured further..._ She smiled a confident, knowing smile. "You have my permission."

"I thank you, Captain." Raito moved to an open terminal, placing his Gunpla down on it. Lights flickered, holograms appearing around it. He grinned. "Deathscythe Shinigami, engage."

* * *

"Dagger! INAZUMA! _KIIIIIIIICK!_" Levanah shouted, her Crossbone X-7 plunging its Heat Dagger into the chest of a Gafran, a second kick forcing the blade to bisect it. The Gundam then dashed backwards, locking onto a another with its Bustergun, a beam piercing it and causing it to explode. Two more were locked onto, the Gunpla's shotgun making quick work of them.

"Levanah I said cover me!" Rin shouted, dodging out of the way of incoming fire.

"All right, all right already, get off my case!" she replied angrily, dashing to the other girl's aid. Standing in front of the G-Sorceress, Levanah had her Crossbone splay its hands open. A barrage of fire from the Vagan Mobile Suits was nullified completely by the Crossbone's I-Fields. Confused for a moment, they became easy prey to Nils and Caroline.

"Finally." Rin said with exasperation. "Now, just keep them off my-" she stopped, hearing the faint sound of a trio of Funnels approaching from behind. "Oh HELL no, Ray Barrier!" Green shards of light flew from the G-Sorceress' hands, suddenly expanding and surrounding the Gundam in a swirling sphere. Just in time, as the Funnels opened fire on the Gunpla, none of the shots making it through, much to Rin's relief. "Thought so, asshole!"

Levanah looked at the Funnels, finding them familiar. _Where have I seen those bef- oh no_. A warning flashed. In the nick of time, she spun her Crossbone around, I-fields blocking a ferocious swing from a Beam Scythe. A Deathscythe, colors darker than the base, bat-like shield-wings replaced with the Wing Zero's, was looming over the Crossbone, red eyes glaring menacingly at its opponent. "Grah! Well, looks like we found the leader of the group." Levanah commented, shoving the opponent away with the I-Fields.

"YOU!" Caroline shouted, her Knight Gundam dashing towards it. "You interrupt my Nils' battle and think you can get away with it?! I will _end_ you!" She made an upward slash, but the Deathscythe seemed to predict it. The slash barely missed Levanah's Crossbone, Caroline trailing after without even noticing. The Deathscythe swung at the Knight Gundam, blade hitting its shield. The girl tried to stab at her opponent, only to be stopped by a Funnel firing down at it, snapping the Knight Gundam's sword in two. Caroline paused for a second, more than enough time for the Deathscythe to kick it to the ground.

"Caroline!" Nils shouted, rushing to the smaller Gunpla's aid. The rest of the Knight Gundam was undamaged, though it was now clear that this opponent would not go down as easily. Nils stayed back, attempting to locate the Funnels within the chaos and cacophony of the battle. Finding a pair, he slashed at them, crescent beams launched from his Astray's katanas, rifle taking down another Vagan Mobile Suit. One of the Funnels managed to evade, rushing straight towards the boy's Gunpla... and right into shotgun fire.

"Can't be careless with this guy." Levanah commented, eyeing the Deathscythe, her guard still up.

"That much is apparent." Nils responded, firing on another Vagan Gunpla. "I believe we need to formulate a better strategy here."

"We'll just keep Rin in the clear, she seems to have a trump card." the brunette said, her Crossbone dashing back to cover the G-Sorceress. "I suspect that it's me that the Deathscythe wants."

"What makes you so sure?" the boy asked, engaging another group of Gafrans, Caroline's Knight Gundam watching his back.

"Well, I-" she was interrupted by another ferocious attack, barely managing to reactivate the Crossbone's I-Fields in time. "-had a... hunch!" Her Gundam kicked at its opponent, barely missing.

* * *

"Hmnph. You won't get claim victory this time, girl." Raito spoke quietly to himself, "You will know humiliation and-" he stopped, sensing a massive flow of Plavsky Particles.

"Gigantic energy buildup, Captain! It's coming from the ginger girl's Gunpla!"

"Focus attention on it, distract it as much as you can."

"Forces down to half strength, and dropping!"

_What is... this pressure?_ the young man thought, feeling the flow getting stronger and stronger, as if it were a small maelstrom of Plavsky Particles forming.

["_These hands of ours glow Crimson Red!_"] could be heard through the speakers on each terminal, the G-Sorceress' hands indeed beginning to glow a deep, haunting, crimson red color, a small, equally red sphere of energy forming between them, the gems on the Gundam glowing a faint yellow. All personnel at the terminals turned their attention towards it.

"Someone, stop that Gundam!" the Captain shouted.

"Danazines on intercept course!"

* * *

Huge, dragon-shaped Mobile Suits descended upon the G-Sorceress. Weapons ready, the faint growl of their engines brought them closer and closer, acquiring a lock on the Gundam.

"_Their bloodcurdling scream calls for us to conquer our foes!_"

Levanah's Crossbone burst forth to intercept them, breaking the lock, Zanbuster, shotgun, and Vulcans firing relentlessly at them. The Deathscythe followed its opponent, making another swing with its weapon. This one connected, digging into the back of the Crossbone's thigh. A push cleaved the leg from the rest of the body, Levanah's Gunpla spinning around to try and counter, cloak protecting it from another strike, but burning away in the process.

"_Let the fools who stand before us fall before our power!_"

Another slash dug into the Crossbone's shoulder, separating the arm from the rest of the body. Levanah gritted her teeth, but then grinned. She looked at the Danazines, then the Archangel, then at the Deathscythe. Before her opponent could issue another strike, she grappled it, remaining leg jetting out its Heat Dagger, stabbing into its opponent's foot, preventing it from dodging the next blow. The girl gave a chuckle, then said plainly, "We win."

"THIS IS IT! DRAGON SLAYER... _TENKYOUKEN!_"

At the moment Rin said that, the small, red sphere in the G-Sorceress' hands transformed into a massive, chaotic one. It launched, a low howl coming from it, right at the Deathscythe and Crossbone. Levanah released her grip on the controls, muttering under her breath, "Later, partner." The massive sphere claimed both Gundams, destroying them almost instantly... and kept going, eradicating the remaining Danazines, then a few straggler Gafrans, and finally coming into contact with the Archangel. It dug through the ship, tearing it apart before finally exploding, the sheer force of it causing the holograms to flicker.

[BATTLE ENDED]

All four fighters let out a sigh of relief, glad that the ordeal was finally over. Levanah looked at what was left of her Crossbone, highly damaged parts of the head, chest, and a couple limbs. Rin rubbed the back of her head, looking at it as well, trying to not make eye contact.

"You had a good run, partner..." the older girl said quietly, somewhat distraught

"Um, uh..." Rin tried to speak up, Levanah's attention turning to her. "Sorry... well, um... guess I overdid it?" She took off her glasses, cleaning them, still looking away from her friend.

"A bit." the brunette said with a chuckle. She collected her Gunpla's pieces, the other three doing the same. "Guess I'll have to do more than just repairs in the next couple days..."

"Well... was this a helpful learning experience, at least?" the redhead forced a wide, nervous smile.

Levanah laughed, nodding. "I guess... I guess so."

"Ahem." Nils interrupted.

"Ah, right..." the redhead walked towards him. "So, when should we reschedule our battle?"

"That will not be necessary." the boy said plainly, causing Rin to become confused, Caroline looking at him with confusion and worry in her eyes. He continued, "In my opinion, you have proven that you are capable enough to represent Yajima in the World Tournament."

"You're giving up?" she exclaimed, her voice full of disappointment. "But, what about..." Rin stopped for a moment, thinking. "You're going to pursue those... 'Unknown Enemies,' aren't you?"

Nils' response was a smile, causing his opponent to frown. "You will most certainly be able to test the limits of the Plavsky Particles." He looked to the blonde girl, "Is this agreeable, Caroline?"

"I suppose." she replied with a shrug. "But don't think you're going to be chasing after a bunch of crooks and hackers all by yourself, darling~" The girl wrapped both of her arms around one of Nils', the boy freezing up. She seemed to be waiting for a response, an awkward half a minute of silence passing. The girl leaned closer and forced a smile, glaring at him with a look that could cause a person to die from fright, asking, "_Right. Darling?_"

"Yes'm." he said quickly, gulping, body shaking.

"Good~" the blonde girl's forced smile became genuine as she nuzzled Nils' cheek. The other two girls watched the scene quietly, Rin placing her glasses back on her face. Levanah's father walked over, speaking up.

"Well, those two over there seem to have found what was causing the interference, but I guess you kids already took care of it."

"Do they have any idea what that group was after?" Nils questioned. Levanah looked at the boy, as if to answer, but her father spoke up before she could say a word.

"They both detected something recording data from the battle, no idea on how they got in, but seems obvious they were after information on the Plavsky Particles." the man said, scratching his chin in thought. "Though doesn't make much sense to me, you know? Why interrupt a fight like that?"

"You believe there's another motive, then. A distraction?" the boy inquired.

"Bingo." Mike nodded. "Lucky you managed to drag Levanah along, Rin."

"Guess so..." she said with a bit of regret in her voice. "Say, you could have helped out too!"

"Left my GP Base at home, didn't think I'd need it." the man answered with a laugh. Nils and Caroline looked at him with blank expressions, even the two scientists seemed to make a double-take at his comment.

"Hrnhf. Whatever..." Rin grunted dismissively, looking down at her Gunpla, a sweet smile across her face as she moved its limbs slightly with her fingers. Nils seemed to notice something and approached her.

"Rin, may I see that for a moment?" he asked politely.

"Huh? Why do-" she looked at her G-Sorceress again, noticing that the chest crystal had changed color, from a ruby-red to a somewhat deep, teal-blue. Her eyes widened, free hand moving up to rub them, thumb holding her glasses up. "You think... you think this could be...?"

The boy nodded. "It's worth investigating. Please, if nothing else, just that crystal." he requested.

"...I guess. But you'll owe me a new one if you break it." she grumbled, sticking her tongue out.

"Of course, of course. I promise to update you on any progress."

* * *

_Well, that was a close one_... a man in a white lab coat thought to himself, walking away from the scene of his "crime." _Just in the nick of time too_. He pulled out a small object from his coat's pocket, a flash drive, and looked at it, smiling. _If we have the power to make a difference..._ His phone rumbled, another text.

[Mission successful?]

[Affirmative.]

[That's a relief... now if only I could get Raito to stop shouting, haha.]

[My condolences.]

He smiled, knowing she would get a laugh out of that. He looked down at the flash drive again. _The power to change the world... Yajima's squandered it, as things stand. But a bit of competition will do them some good. It's only a matter of time, now..._.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: I still most certainly do not own the rights to the Gundam franchise, or any other franchise vaguely/overtly mentioned within this story.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Enamels of Acrylics? Maybe** **Lacquers...**

* * *

"Levanah, wake up already!" a woman's voice shouted down a hallway. Thursday morning, 8:46 AM. A girl grumbled, struggling to kick off the covers on her bed. She rubbed her eyes, looking over to her desk. The remains of her Crossbone Gundam X-7 were sitting on a tray. She sighed, knowing she'd have a lot of work to do to get it back in shape.

"Kiddo, your mother's leaving for work, the least you could do is say goodbye!" the girl's father called loudly.

"Awll raaaiiigghtt... sheeeshhh..." Levanah moaned, slouching and dragging her feet as she slowly walked to her bedroom door, turning her head to the opposite side of the room, a large glass pet tank, though no sign of the pet inside. "Mengh... you have the right idea, Amanda. Sleep in some more... yyyaaaaahhn... wake up when you feel like it." she mumbled.

"Breakfast is ready, by the way!"

"Ngh?" the girl finally noticed the scent of freshly made waffles in the air. That was the trigger she needed to change her attitude. She ran out of her room, still in her white sleep shirt and navy blue sleep pants, dashing into the kitchen. Before her parents even noticed she was there, she had already hugged her mother and planted herself down at the kitchen table, swiftly at work pouring syrup on her waffles.

"Told you that'd work." the woman, dressed in her pilot uniform, said with a laugh, elbowing her husband in the arm.

"Levanah." Mike said in a low tone. He wore a simple white shirt and blue jeans, contrasting his more formally dressed wife.

"Lweytur mahm." she mumbled, her mouth full of food.

Her father sighed. "You have a good day at work, Jodi." he said to his wife, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Couple of days; flights to Vegas, Honolulu, then Denver before I get back home." she replied, gathering a few bags.

"Ah, shame."

"Oh I knooooow. No chance to properly embarrass my daughter in front of her girlfriend." Jodi giggled, causing Levanah to choke a little as she tried to down some milk. The girl gave a look halfway between an angry glare and a worried frown, her mother chuckling.

"You take care, darling." Mike said, hugging and kissing his wife.

"It's only flying a jet-powered, hundred foot metal tube with wings on it, carrying about six-hundred passengers close to the speed of sound. Absolutely nothing to worry about." Jodi responded playfully, kissing her husband back. "You take care too. And you too, Levanah!"

"I'll try." she let out before chomping down on another bite of her waffle. The girl watched her mother leave out of the corner of her eye, quickly finishing the food on her plate.

"When did Haley say she was coming over, again?" Mike questioned, taking the empty plate from his daughter.

"10:30-ish. Might be a bit late, she said." Levanah got up, stretching. "Guess I'll have to tidy up my room a bit before that.."

"Could have started last night." the girl's father commented.

"Mnnrrgh... was too tired after, well, yesterday." she replied, thinking back to those events. It all seemed like a blur now, the mysterious battle interruption, fighting alongside Nils Neilson, sacrificing her Crossbone to ensure Rin could finish the battle... and yet, it happened. She walked slowly through her house's hallway, still stretching her arms and legs. Entering her room, she closed the door behind her. Looking at the glass tank again, the pet inside was still quiet, barely noticing its owner inside. "Still sleeping in, Amanda? Guess I can't blame ya, not like you have a lot going on today..."

* * *

10:30 came and went. Levanah, now changed from her sleep clothes to a somewhat sky blue tanktop, light white shirt underneath that seemed to be about the same age, and black shorts, looked at her phone. Her hair was done up in a ponytail again, though lacking her hat this time around; no need for it since she was staying at home most of the day. Haley had already sent a message saying she'd be late, hinting that she'd gotten something for Levanah to make up for it. Mike was in another room, almost done talking with someone. She made sure her desk was clear, ventilated spray booth set up and window open, laptop moved to make room, shelves to the side of her room displaying a number of her completed kits. At the foot end of her bed was a TV, next to her desk. She was just finishing putting away a number of consoles neatly, games all stored as well. Her cellphone gave a beep; a new text from Haley.

[Be there in 5! Uncle found the route to your house, finally. :P ]

Levanah smiled, letting out a quick sigh of relief. She walked out of her room, noticing that her father apparently done with his call. "Important business call, huh?"

"Eh, Governor had to deal with an incident involving the President of France, Premier of Quebec, and a stray crocodile." he replied, somewhat deadpan.

"...let me guess, it escaped from the sewers?" the girl asked, her voice almost deadpan. "What was it, really?" she raised an eyebrow, frowning.

"Stray moose." Mike smiled.

"Prevented an international incident again, I see." she walked past him, looking at her phone. 10:33, Haley was almost there.

"And managed to set get the Governor a story to talk about for the rest of his career." the man's smile grew wider.

"Right..." Levanah walked out her house's front door, closing it behind her and watching carefully at the few cars passing by. Finally, she noticed a car slowing down. Out jumped Haley, wearing a black t-shirt with white trim, purple short-shorts, and black pantyhose underneath, sneakers matching her shirt, jolting to the back trunk and getting both her guitar case and a cart with a large amount of Gunpla kits inside it. She waved to the person in the car, and then dashed off to the brunette girl. In what seemed like the fraction of a second, she was already in front of her, case and cart down, arms wrapped around Levanah in a sudden embrace, causing her to blush at first, but then return the embrace.

"Nice to see you again, Levanah." Haley said with a warm, pleasant smile.

"Thanks, nice to see you too." she replied, smiling as well.

"Oh, but first, something to make up for my tardiness." she piped up, reaching over to her cart, grabbing the kit resting on the top. "Here, since your previous Gunpla got wrecked." Haley handed it to the brunette girl; one HGUC Crossbone X-1. Levanah smiled at the gift. "It... might not be able to replace all of it, but it's a start, right?" she asked, blushing a little.

"It's... it's more than a start..." the younger girl replied, looking at Haley. "Not exactly a common kit, how'd you get it so fast?"

"Oh, I have my ways~" the blonde chuckled.

"Heh, well, can't have you stand outside all day, can I? Want me to get something?"

"Nah, I've got it." the older girl replied, picking up her case and cart and walking in with Levanah. Mike met them both in the hallway, shaking Haley's hand.

"I'm going to be out for about an hour, so, Levanah, you behave yourself."

"Daaaaaaad." the brunette grumbled and frowned, knowing he was teasing, but still not appreciating it. He patted his daughter on the head, walking outside. Levanah led Haley to her room, helping the other girl take the kits out of her cart. The blonde girl looked around the room, first noticing the models on the shelves. A HGAW DX, posed with Satellite Canons deployed. An RX-78 Gundam and Command Zaku-II, posed as if they were engaged in combat with one another. A Master Grade Crossbone X-1 Kai, the Hi-Murasama Blaster held in both of its hands, pointed like a rifle. A number of other Gunpla kits were arranged neatly and dynamically, though on a shelf above them all were four ships; a small U.S.S. Enterprise carrier, a Ra Calium, a U.S.S. Defiant starship model, and a Bentenmaru, all lined up from right to left. A highly customized pinkish red, grey, and black colored HGUC Crossbone was standing next to the Bentenmaru, coloration matching the ship's and thrusters modified to match as well. It was posed with a cloth cape coming down from the shoulders, black exterior and red interior, held open by its hand, bowing forward slightly.

"Quite a collection you've got there." Haley commented, eyes shifting to a collection of figurines and other assorted toys. A Wing Gundam MS Girl, Sayla and Allenby figures flanking it, a couple other figurines next to them. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the glass tank in the room, bulb inside warming and illuminating it, and through some of the foliage inside, the inhabitant of the tank was poking her head out. Haley stumbled backwards, letting out a shout of "SNAKE!"

Thinking fast, Levanah caught the older girl before she hurt herself, the blonde clinging to her. "Don't like snakes that much, huh?" the brunette questioned, the response being a very emphatic headshake of 'no.' "Heh, sorry." she moved the other girl to her bed, walking up to the glass case. The small, green snake inside looked at her, flicking its tongue. "This is Amanda, she's harmless, a bit shy, and very gentle. Couldn't even really bite you if she tried." Her words seemed to reassure Haley a little bit, though she still stayed as far away from the case as possible, wary of the animal inside of it. Amanda, in contrast, seemed almost apathetic to the new presence in the room, continuing to slither around the branches in the tank slowly.

"Sorry, just... not much a fan of snakes." Haley said quietly, sitting down on the bed, grabbing one of the kits, a Dom.

"It's fine, honestly don't know many people who are." Levanah sat down on the other side, looking at the kits on her bed. "So what all do you have planned?"

"Weeeeeell..." her voice returned to its normal, cheerful tone. "Aside from the Extreme Gundam on guitar, I'm gonna try to have this Dom on drums..." she placed the kit down, grabbing another, "...this Maxter on keyboard..." she placed that kit down, finally picking the last one, Levanah's eyes going wide upon seeing it, "...and finally, this Descem, on bass."

"W-where... where on earth did you get a Descem?!" she asked, jaw hanging open.

"Heh, 'wasn't easy' doesn't even begin to describe it." the blonde girl replied, scratching the back of her neck. "But like I said before, I have my ways~" she smirked. "Anyway, already got all their equipment set up." Haley placed the kit down and opened her guitar case, placing the Extreme Gundam on the desk, with the other "instruments" next to it. A purple Heat Axe bass, red drum set, and green keyboard, all gathered around the Gunpla. "So... have any preference on what to build first?"

"Hmm... haven't actually built one before, so let's try the Dom first."

"Huh. Funny, kinda took you for being a sub..." Haley quipped, sticking her tongue out.

Levanah squinted, pouted, and frowned a little. "Why you..." she poked the other girl in the side and the stomach, causing her to laugh. She poked the brunette back, her turn to laugh, frown turning into a smile. Haley laid back on the bed, Levanah looking at her for a bit, mind filling with... thoughts. She stopped herself, looking away, the older girl looking up at her.

"What's up?"

"How'd... how did you..." she gulped, hesitant to finish the question. She sighed and decided to just say it. "How... did you realize-"

"That I liked girls?" the blonde finished.

Levanah blushed, silent for half a minute. She spoke quietly, somewhat ashamed that she asked such a blunt question, "...yes."

"Hmm... 'bout when I hit puberty, I guess. Just kind of... noticed." she said rather bluntly, scratching the top of her head. "You?"

Levanah went silent again, face bright red. Her eyes subconsciously darted to one of the figures on her shelves, a young brunette woman with twintails, wielding a staff weapon, wearing a mostly white magical girl outfit, blue arm guards and trim to her outfit, with a white waist-cape over a short skirt. In spite of the girl quickly looking away, Haley noticed, giggling softly.

"Ah, so, it was... 'Gundam' that made you realize it?" she teased, poking the younger girl in the side. "Never took you for being a 'Setsuna.'"

"S-shush..." the brunette grumbled, hiding her face.

"Heehee... that's kind of adorable. Don't think you'd be quite the match blondie is for her, though." Haley chuckled, hand moving up Levanah's back, tracing a finger down her spine. The younger girl let out a bit of a yelp, Haley pulling her arm back and apologizing quickly. "Gah, sorry, sorry! Didn't mean to-"

"N-no, just... you surprised me..." the brunette looked down, prominent blush on her face. She let out a deep sigh.

"Something wrong?"

"Do you..." Levanah asked quietly, a little nervousness in her voice. "I dunno, just... are we... going about this a bit... quickly?"

"Well let's see... you've already welcomed me into your home, brought me into your bedroom, and now I'm lying on down your bed..." the older girl said, her voice still having a teasing hint to it.

"Y-you know what I mean." the younger girl grumbled, fidgeting her thumbs.

"Levanah..." Haley sat up and placed her hand on the other girl's shoulder, voice taking on a more serious, but also calm and friendly tone now. "Just... take as much time as you think you need. If you aren't comfortable with... well, you know, just say it." She pulled the other girl closer, looking at her right in the eye. "Is that all right with you?"

"I... I guess..." she placed her head on the older girl's shoulder, a shy smile on her face.

"So..." the blonde pulled the Dom kit onto her lap. "Let's get started. Gunpla can't exactly build themselves." she smiled wide. Both girls let out a soft laugh, opening the kit and getting to work.

* * *

"Whew, finally!" Levanah said with a grin, carefully connecting the torso and waist of a completed kit. It was 1:25 by now, two kits were done, and one was close to completion. The Dom was now painted with white replacing the purple and a deep red color replacing the black, yellowish-gold detailing on some parts, and the Maxter was relatively unchanged in coloration save the red and blue being changed into two different shades of green. The remaining kit, the Descem, was drying its fresh coat of paint, purple painted to replace the yellow and some of the white on the arms, legs, and chest.

"Whew, can't believe we're almost done with it all." Haley commented, removing a spray mask and wiping her brow, backing up from the desk. She looked over to the kit she brought for Levanah. "Well, unless there's something you have planned for that Crossbone that we can work on..."

"Hmm..." the younger girl pondered, scratching her head. She pushed her chair back, grabbing the chocolate shake her father brought her earlier, as part of a lunch for them both. She took a sip, thinking over the question. "I do have some ideas for it, but no clear picture just yet..."

"What kind of ideas?"

"Well, parts of an Exia or 00 or something of the like to go with it. A GN Drive would be useful in complimenting the Crossbone's natural speed and agility."

"Ooooh, I like. But is that all? I mean it'll work for a last resort thing, but I'd think you'd want to do a bit more, right?"

"Yeah, that's the thing. I know there's something else I can do... something to give it an edge up on the competition..." Levanah leaned back, taking another sip. Haley looked over, poking the head of one of the figures on the shelf, a 1/144 scale RG Wing Zero. "Heeey, wait a sec... Haley, can you hand me that for a sec?"

"Huh? Sure." she handed the Gunpla down gently. She tried to question, "Why do y-" but stopped, realizing what was going on in Levanah's mind as she saw the girl carefully move around the weapons on the Gundam. "That... might clash with the rest of the Gunpla, don't you think?"

"That's why I'll put a little extra spin on it." the brunette grinned, pointing her thumb at the MG Crossbone. "Some sort of... Twin Hi-Murasama Busters."

"Sounds... like a lot of work." the blonde shrugged. "But I guess if you can get it to mesh properly..."

"Still missing something, though... I know there's more I can do..." Levanah went back into deep thought, placing the Wing Zero back on the shelf.

"Hmm..." Haley sat back, resting on Levanah's bed. She noticed two figures next to the TV, a couple Revoltechs, both with large faces on their chests, one red in color with black, pointed "sunglasses" adorning it, the other primarily black and blue, large chest-face a striking, vibrant gold. Levanah looked at her pose and play with them for a bit, eyes going wide. She found her inspiration. The girl jumped up, grabbing Haley by the arms.

"Haley, that's it!" she said excitedly, planting a kiss on the other girl's lips. Levanah stopped abruptly, letting go and backing up a bit, her face bright pink.

"Hm... hint of chocolate to that." the blonde commented. Levanah hid her face from her, shying away. "That was a bit sudden but... hey, is something wrong?" The younger girl tried to shake her head no. "What? You're acting like-" Haley stopped, silent for a moment. She poked the other girl's shoulder, a knowing smile across her face. "That was your first kiss, wasn't it?"

Levanah slowly nodded, still trying hide her face. She peeked through her fingers and mumbled quietly, "S-sorry... guess it... just..."

Haley stood up, pulling the younger girl's arms down from her face. "Was not what you were expecting?" Levanah nodded again, face still flushed red. "Maybe you were looking for something more..." she wrapped her arms around her waist, "like..." Haley pulled her close, the younger girl looking at the older one with stars in her eyes, "this~" they pressed their lips together gently, Levanah closing her eyes and putting her hands on Haley's hips, leaning forward slightly. They stayed that way for around a minute and a half, finally breaking the kiss. "That any better?"

"...Much."


	7. Chapter 7

Author's note: I don't own the rights to any part of the Gundam franchise. If I did, the designs for Frozen Teardrop's Warlock and Snow White would have been revealed by now.

* * *

**Chapter 7: To the Path Drawn for the Future**

* * *

Madison Square Garden's Basketball stadium, a Saturday morning. The stadium was packed, murmurs and whispers among the crowds. The American Championships, and Qualifiers for the 9th Gunpla Battle World Championship, certainly no small-scale sporting event. Lights go out in the stadium, the crowd's cacophony quiets. A spotlight comes on in the center stage. Haley Jo, dressed in a purple vest, black, long-sleeved shirt, and white short-shorts, with purple leggings going up from black boots, addresses the crowd;

"Llllllladies aaaaaand gentlemen, welcome to the American Gunpla Battle Championships!" she shouted, playing a quick riff with her guitar. Four Gunpla lit up, the "stage" she was standing on emitting a blue glow, bringing the Gunpla to life. They flew around in formation, each one prepping their instruments. "More than 32 contestants, Gunpla builders and fighters, have gathered here from across the nation! All looking for the chance to claim the title of 'American Champion,' and head to Japan to compete in the World Tournament!" The crowd cheered as the screens above her lit up, clips of previous tournaments playing on it. "Now, let's all give a big round of applause for these contestants, here to give it their all in Gunpla Battle!" The screens switched from the clipshow to brackets, names being called one by one to fill them in, order apparently already determined through random selection.

["GREGORY GLENN"]

The mugshot of a young blonde man appeared, next to him some small bits of personal information; he was from Massachusetts, 18 years old, and some other small details such as him being a College Football star. The information slid into the mugshot, it moving into the first bracket slot as Haley began to play a heavily rock-influenced take on "Tobe! Gundam." The Extreme Gundam and purple-tinted Descem began strumming their guitar and bass guitar, red and white Dom tapped its drums, sound resonating through the stadium, Maxter's keyboard finally entering the tune.

["PROFESSOR CLYDE DOOZY"]

A mugshot of an elderly man, hair wild and white on the sides, slightly balding on the top, appeared next. He was from Oregon, 61 years old, PhD in robotics. The announcements continued as the song went on. The tournament's fighters were in away from the crowds and stadiums, in a separate waiting room, watching the roster fill up. There, Levanah and her father waited, the girl dressed again in the same outfit combination as she had last Sunday, skull-and-crossbone earrings included. She looked around the room, recognizing a few people, elbowing her father and conversing with him quietly. "Hey, hey dad, there's Greco Logan." she pointed to a tall, imposing man, almost as large as Mike, dressed in a white tanktop and green shorts.

"Heh, had a feeling he'd show up again." the girl's father looked at Greco, scratching his chin. "Seems he's talking with someone?"

"Ricardo Fellini, the Italian champ. Rival and close friend of his, too." Levanah turned her attention back to the roster, fourth slot about to be announced.

["PAULINA SYKES"]

The mugshot of a girl with short, well-combed, deep blue hair, appeared on the bracket. From Arizona, 15 years old, and already training to be an aircraft pilot. She seemed to be up against a slightly androgynous blonde boy, Karras Nemo, another 15 year old from Maine. Levanah's attention turned back to the conversation between Fellini and Greco, only to discover that they were staring at her father. "Heh heh, I guess you really can't go anywhere without people recognizing you, dad."

"Hah! Guess not. Might as well say hello, then." he commented, waving to the two, asking them to come over. The two hesitated, but decided to go through with it. Mike shook both their hands, Greco being the first to speak.

"I can't exactly say I expected you to be here, Mister Pr- ah, I mean, Mister Morgan." he said somewhat nervously, Fellini nodding his head. "What's a former US President doing here?"

"My little girl's a contestant, actually." Mike replied with a friendly laugh, patting his daughter on the shoulder. She smiled and politely shook hands with both.

"Is that so? Well congrats on making it this far." Fellini commented, Greco nodding.

"Heh, thanks." Levanah seemed a bit nervous, but also a bit excited. This certainly wasn't the place she thought she'd be barely more than a week ago, and the atmosphere, the sheer presence of such skilled fighters was fueling that thought quite a lot. But it was an invigorating feeling to her, being able to fight against such skilled opponents.

["LEVANAH MORGAN"]

Her attention turned back to the brackets. She was at the 7th slot, to her relief the little factiod neglecting to mention her parentage. Eyes still focused on it, though, as her first opponent would be coming up soon.

["ZANG COLE"]

"A woman? Bah! I was hoping for a challenge." a young man shouted from the other side of the room, to Levanah's annoyance. She looked in the direction of the voice, a somewhat tall Asian-American boy, info saying he was a 15 year old from Oregon, standing in a dark blue tanktop, white pants. In his hand was a black and primarily red Altron Gundam, original TV version, wings of the Eypon Gundam mounted on the Gunpla's back. He turned and walked out in a huff, frown on his face, pushing past a couple people.

"Always someone like that, I suppose..." Greco sighed, watching the boy walk off.

"Well, it probably means is he'll be underestimating me." the girl shrugged. "Kinda wish I'd have a more serious opponent for the first round."

"Haha, seems you have a good deal of confidence, Señorita."

"...wait, 'Señorita?' I thought you were Italian." Mike questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Hah! It's a bit of a joke he has going on." Greco answered for him. "'The Italian Dandy' here thinks he's some sort of Casanova whenever he sees a pretty girl." he snarked, elbowing his friend in the arm.

"Uh-huh. Not interested." Levanah remarked dismissively.

"Ouch, shot down so quickly. With sharpshooting skills like that, no wonder you're in this tournament!" Fellini chuckled, taking it in stride. "Ah, but I actually have my eyes set on another."

"Yeah yeah, don't have to rub it in." Greco said with fake annoyance. "Not everyone can have an idol singer girlfriend like you."

"Hm..." the girl turned to the monitor again, eyes now fixed on Haley. She gave a small, subdued smile. "Well, seems that's something besides Gunpla Battle we have in common, Mister Fellini." He turned his head to her, confused expression on his face. He then looked to where she was looking, and after a moment his jaw hung open, realizing what she meant.

"Ah... um..." Fellini backed up a bit, somewhat dumbfounded. He looked at the screen again, then back at Levanah. Finally, he smiled and gave a thumbs up. "Not bad, little miss. Not bad at all." The compliment caused her to laugh. Fellini and Greco made some more small talk with the two to pass the time, both American Gunpla Fighters wishing the other good luck as the two younger men walked off.

"Meet the most interesting kinds of people, huh dad?"

"Hah, reminds me a bit of DC. Always someone just around the corner, a-"

"Michael Morgan, my my, it's been a while." a woman's voice, sounding very kind and sweet but also like a wise old aunt's, interrupted and addressed the man, both Mike and Levanah recognizing it.

"Jen? Jen Mul?" he said in a surprised tone. "Haha, what're you doing here?"

"Saw little Levanah's name on that bracket, so I thought I'd stop by." she said with a smile. The woman, seemingly in her late 30s, was dressed in a formal red jacket with a black shirt underneath, black, formal pants below. Her sandy blonde hair was done up in a bun, pleasant smile on her face. "Ah, forgive me, you're not so little anymore, are you? Seven years seems like it goes by so quickly."

"N-nice to meet you too, aun- I mean, Miss Mul." Levanah shyly shook her hand.

"How's the old gang been, Jen?" Mike questioned.

"Well, it's been a while since I last talked with Jonathan, but last I heard he was thinking about going into politics. Jim hasn't changed a bit though, still living like he's some sort of young cowboy. Still trying to hide that bald spot too!" she gave a hearty laugh, Mike laughing along. "Hahaa, I know, I know... anyway, Jean and Ben are still pretty active, though. Keeping the peace and all that. And me, well, I'm here it seems."

"Ah, why are you here, exactly?"

["GRECO LOGAN"]

All three turned their attention to the screen. Greco was in the 25th slot, with his opponent soon to be announced. Jen gave another pleasant smile. "Well, why do you think I'm here?"

["JEN MUL"]

Both Mike and Levanah made a double take. Neither could believe their eyes, but the woman's mugshot was there. 39 years old, from Indiana, Navy Captain. "Hah, guess that answers the question for me."

"You... but... how-" the man stuttered, his daughter slack-jawed and silent.

"I'll see you later in the Tournament, little Levanah." Jen replied, waving to the two as she walked off.

"...Dad?"

"Yes, kiddo?"

"Did that really just happen?"

"Yes, kiddo."

Levanah rubbed the back of her neck. "This... is going to be a strange couple of days."

* * *

After all the first round battles had been announced, the fighters were given a brief period of rest and tune-up. Two battles would occur simultaneously, with two Gunpla Battle Fields being set up on either side of the stadium. Levanah took the opportunity to get herself a drink, when...

"Levvy! Levvy!" Belle shouted and waved to her friend, Blair right beside her. Levanah couldn't help but smile at them. Both were dressed casually, a primarily orange sundress on Belle and a blue t-shirt and black pants on Blair. Both were holding a well decorated sign with her name on it.

"Aw, you guys..." she pulled them both into a tight, friendly hug.

"We'll be rooting for you, Levanah." Blair said with a smile. "All of us." He jabbed backwards with his thumb, pointing to a small but noticable number of their classmates and other friends.

Levanah waved to them, soft cheers coming from the group. "Looks like it, Blair. Thanks."

Their conversation was interrupted by a somewhat far off voice, apparently eavesdropping on them. "Blair? That's a girl's name."

The boy looked in the direction of the voice, glaring as he knew exactly who it was. "Zang Cole..."

"Fitting that someone as weak as you has it." Levanah's opponent smugly talked down to her friend.

"Blair, you know him?" the brunette girl whispered.

"My... cousin." he replied quietly, hanging his head. Zang laughed at him, crossing his arms. "Is that the only reason you came here, to laugh at me?" Blair demanded, looking back up.

"Honestly I was just on my way to get some water. But since you're here..." he shrugged and laughed, still smirking.

"Great, just what I need before the match starts..." Levanah mumbled under her breath. "Don't you have bigger things to be worried about?" she questioned, unamused by her opponent's antics.

"What do I have to worry about? My op-" he stopped and saw who asked. "Hah, hiding behind girls to protect you, Blair? What, is she your girlfriend or something?"

"No." Belle answered for him, arms wrapping around Blair's, causing him to blush. "They're friends."

"Hmnph. Makes no difference. Though I'll try and go easy on you, girl." Zang said in a purposefully annoyed tone, trying to mock her. Levanah just rolled her eyes in response, barely even dignifying the comment. "You might be better off just forfeiting now, though. It'll save us both the trouble." The boy then turned and walked away, even more sure of his victory than before.

"...Belle, make sure your cellphone camera's ready." Blair spoke, smirking.

"Huh? Why for?"

"I'd like to know that there'll be a few more people capturing the look on Zang's face when he loses."

"As much as I like getting involved in other people's family conflicts, Blair..." Levanah sighed, an expression of concern on her face coming through a fake smile. "I don't intend to go out and humiliate opponents if I win. Not good sportsmanship to rub salt in a fresh wound."

"Heh, I'll try not to force it on you."

"Blair..."

"Promise." he said with a dishonest grin.

"Ugh... whatever." She looked down at her watch. It was close to starting time for the first couple matches. Swiftly dashing towards her other friends and conversing with them, she then helped them all get some close-up seats.

On one side of the court were the first two combatants, Greg Glenn and Professor Doozy. The former fighter was dressed in a flashy black and white ship captain's uniform, most likely cosplaying as something, the latter fighter merely wearing a formal tan jacket, yellow shirt, and brown slacks. Glenn set down his Gunpla, a somewhat basic Astray Red Frame, little added to it. The Professor did the same, his being an SD RX-78, of all things, with a modified shield and what looked to be a football in its hand instead of its rifle.

The other side of the stadium had Karras Nemo, who dressed in what seemed to be a military school outfit. His opponent, Paulina Sykes, wore a red jack with tan shoulders over a white shirt, baggy blue pants leading down from them. Karras had a mashup between the Bertigo and Quebley, the end result looking tall, bulky, and quite imposing. Paulina on the other hand had a Gundam X, based primarily on the Divider though with parts from the Airmaster and, most strikingly, the G-Falcon, the whole package seeming to look like a GX-based homage to the Zeta Gundam.

Haley, her Gunpla done with their show and all landing neatly on the stage, gave a bow to the crowd cheers resounding from the performance. She looked around, trying to find Levanah through the crowd. The brunette girl gave a small wave, causing Haley to smile when she finally noticed her. She finally addressed both groups of contestants. "Fighters! Are you ready?!" All four of them nodded. "Then let's get these matches started!" An announcement resonated through the arena:

[BATTLE START]

The matches began. The Astray and SD Gundams dashed through a city landscape, not wasting time engaging each other... if one could call what they were doing such a thing. The Astray wasn't using any of its weapons, instead tossing the football belonging to the SD Gundam back and forth with its opponent. There was an odd beeping sound coming from the object, confusing the crowd at first until they almost collectively figured out what it really was.

"Can't say I expected... this, when I got here." Blair mentioned to his friends.

"Odd that Glenn is using such a basic build. Not many things added to it." Levanah noticed, pondering on what it meant in terms of the fighter's abilities. Perhaps it was what he excelled at, perhaps it was for a challenge, perhaps it was just personal preference.

"The other one is kinda cute though~" Belle said with a smile, a couple other female friends of theirs nodding in agreement. Attention turned to the farther side of the arena.

The other battle was far more intense. Karras tried keeping pressure on Paulina with his Gunpla's funnels, the girl dodging them and returning fire, switching between its MS and jet modes to try and stay ahead of her opponent. Neither could get a clear hit on the other, tension building between the fighters, each carefully trying to predict the other's movements.

"I'm impressed by that one. Seems like a logical mashup between two similar suits. Quite sturdy too." Blair adjusted his glasses, keeping track of Karras' Gunpla.

"The other one's got quite the skilled fighter and builder, though. It's not easy going up against that many funnels at once. And she's managed to get those kits to work together really well. I'm impressed." Levanah sat back a little, smirking.

Glenn finally seemed to have an idea, and had his Astray tackle the smaller Gunpla, slamming the football into it while it was prone, and dashing away as quickly as possible. The beeping intensified, Professor Doozy attempted to get his SD Gundam up, but time ran out; a large explosion engulfed it and a significant portion of the simulated city, small, cartoonish mushroom cloud coming out of the crater. Glenn let out a sigh of relief as he heard the announcer call:

[BATTLE ENDED]

"Don't think that's quite how it works." Mike, sitting in the row above his daughter, commented. "Then again it has been seven years, maybe it's gotten a bit more literal since then." Levanah rolled her eyes and groaned.

"And that's it for the first battle of the tournament! But looks like the second's still in high gear, who will come out on top?" Haley shouted to the crowd, cheers for Glenn resounding through the arena. He shook hands with his recently defeated opponent, the two conversing and having a good laugh over the... unorthodox battle.

Meanwhile, the other battle raged on. Paulina's approach had switched from attacking the opponent directly towards engaging the funnels, destroying them one by one. As its offensive options dwindled, Karras attempted to rush his opponent. This was the chance Paulina was waiting for, as she switched her GX back into its G-Falcon mode, boosting towards the enemy Gunpla. Once close enough, she unleashed a flurry of beams at Karras' Gunpla, most dodged or striking non-vital pieces of armor, but a lucky shot went right through its head. She pushed on, transforming back into MS mode and slashing down with the GX's Beam Saber. That was all it took for the battle to finally draw to a close.

[BATTLE ENDED]

Cheers resumed, Karras looking disappointed but still smiled at his opponent, collecting his Gunpla and congratulating her on the win. The brackets came into view again, the winners' portraits rising up as the losers were crossed out.

"Let's give another round of applause for these skilled fighters!" The crowd went wild as both victors stepped forward, bowing to the audience. "A quick five minute break period will occur before the start of the next couple matches."

"Guess I better get ready..." Levanah stood up, stretching her limbs.

"Good luck, Levvy!~" Belle stretched out her hand, the taller girl high-fiving it as she walked to the aisle. She looked down at her satchel. She might have given it a couple test runs yesterday, but now, it was time to put it to a real test. Heading down to the arena, she approached one of the Gunpla Battle Terminals. Zang came a couple of minutes later, smugly confident as before. Finally, as the other two fighters reached their terminal, Haley announced that the wait period was over.

"Aaaaaaallllll righty! Ladies and gentlemen, next set of matches are about to begin!"

The terminal lit up.

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GP BASE]

All fighters placed their GP Bases down, every one of them focused on the battle to come.

[BEGINNING PLAVSKY PARTICLE DISPERSAL]

"You really should have taken my offer of quitting while you're ahead, woman." Zang said smugly to his opponent, a blue glow filling each Battle Field.

[FIELD 03: FOREST]

[FIELD 11: CASTLE]

An imposingly large feudal Japanese castle appeared before Levanah and Zang. The girl spoke plainly to her opponent, "I don't intend to go down so easily. Try not to be overconfident."

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GUNPLA]

Zang placed down his red and black Altron Gundam, frowning. Levanah placed down hers, cloak obscuring most of it save the signature X-shaped thrusters on its back. Both of them gripped the holographic controls.

[BATTLE START]

"Zang Cole! Altron Gundam Ascent! Launch!"

"Levanah Morgan! Crossbone Gundam EXCELSA! Time for some piracy!"


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Gundam franchise. If I did, there'd already be a Master Grade Kampfer Amazing.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Knocking on the Door Towards Tomorrow**

* * *

"Stop dodging and fight me!" Zang shouted, his Altron Gundam flinging a Dragon Fang at its opponent, missing by half a meter as Levanah predicted such a move easily. This had been the situation for almost half a minute since the match started, the Crossbone dodging as the Altron attempted to attack it. Levanah's Gundam was mostly obscured by the Anti-Beam Cloak covering it, only things clearly visible to the onlookers being the signature X-shaped thrusters and new GN Drive between them, modified Crossbone head, and twin, slimmed down versions of the Murasama blades in each hand, lower handguards removed. "Rrrgghh! You coward! You're only delaying the inevitable! Now stand still!"

Levanah sighed. "You really aren't taking this seriously..."

"W-what? Why should I-"

"You underestimate an opponent..." the beam blades on one of the Murasama weapons activated. "...and it won't matter how skilled you really are..." As the Dragon Fang flew towards the Crossbone again, a powerful upward slash cut it off from the rest of the Altron's arm. "...you'll regret it all too quickly." She had the second blade flip down, her Gunpla gripping it by the hilt gun handle, firing a shot directly at the enemy Gundam. Trying to think quickly, Zang blocked the shot with his Altron's shield... for what good it did. The shield broke away, part of the beam connecting and sending the Gundam flying into a castle.

"H-how..." Zang seemed distraught, sparks flying from the damaged section of his Gundam. He watched as Levanah landed her Crossbone a good distance away, standing on a rooftop, Murasamas pointed down. "No... no, this can't... you... ggrraaagh!" he gritted his teeth and roared, tapping the holographic controls. "Fine, woman, I'll show you no mercy! You have no one to blame for what's about to happen but yourself!" The Altron's eyes emitted a flash as Zang clicked an item on the controls. New screens opened up around him, subtle beeping sounds being emitted and lines locking on to the opponent.

In the crowd, Levanah's friends watched carefully. Blair bit his lower lip, knowing what was coming. "So, he's going to use 'that' already..."

"Use what?" Belle questioned.

"The ZERO System."

The Altron dashed forward, Crossbone dodging, but with barely enough time to realize that it was attacking with its still functional Dragon Fang. It clamped down on the cloak, missing the arm by millimeters. A small weapon appeared from the back of Zang's Gundam, taking aim at Levanah's. The thrusters on the Crossbone fired up, barely missing a headshot and dashing backwards, some of the cloak tearing, revealing the entirety of the right arm of the girl's Gunpla. A large white plate on one side of the forearm indicated that this new variation possessed the Beam Branders of the X-1 and X-2 Crossbones, while a different, blue plate on the other side indicated it possessing the palm-based I-Field generator of the X-3 and Levanah's earlier X-7 custom. Levanah kept her distance, Zang waiting for an opening.

"W-what just happened?!" Belle exclaimed.

"The ZERO System originates from Gundam Wing, used by the Wing Zero and Eypon Gundams." Blair adjusted his glasses, glaring at his cousin. "In the series, it gave the pilot almost precognitive abilities, predicting and locating enemies and even potential enemies... at a cost. It could corrupt a pilot's mind and drive them into endless battle. It behaves in a somewhat similar fashion in Gunpla Battle, though it's functionally more like an Aimbot."

"Wait, wouldn't that be cheating? If he always knows where his opponent is going to be, and is automatically locked on, then... oh no, Levvy!" the blonde girl shouted in worry.

"Not quite." Mike spoke up, causing Levanah's friends to turn to him. "In a first-person shooter, it might be, but in a match like this, auto-lock can be just as much of a detriment as it is a benefit. Quick thinking with shields can block shots fired at an opponent, and remote weapons can lead to a person not picking up on potential threats without superhuman reaction times. The lack of direct feedback can also lead to the Fighter not really catching all the information it feeds them. And there's also the issue of, well, overconfidence." Mike smirked. "And if I know my girl, she's got an idea on how to counter this all figured out by now."

Zang laughed, finding what the ZERO System claimed was an opening. "Your time is up, woman! You should have given up when you had the chance! I can now predict your every movement!" The Dragon Fang flung towards the Crossbone, grabbing it by the arm and forcefully reeling it closer to Zang's Gundam.

"And you should think things through better!" Levanah shouted, grinning. Her Crossbone placed its equipment on its hips, clicking sounds indicating them being locked down. The faceplate opened, X-shaped thrusters clamped down on each other as the GN Drive fired up, a burst of speed propelling it towards the opponent faster than the Dragon Fang could pull. The blue vents on the lower arms opened, a barely visible field covering the Gundam.

"A-a feint?!" Zang gasped in shock. The ZERO System flared up warnings, telling him to let go and counterattack, taking aim with the back-mounted weapon and firing, only for the shots to be deflected. Quickly he released the Crossbone, trying to grab his Beam Trident, but before he could act Levanah's Gunpla slammed into his, dazing it slightly. A sharp left hook to the face fractured the eye of the Altron, ZERO System now displaying a barrage of error messages to Zang.

"Predict this!" Levanah had her Crossbone grab the Alron by the shoulder with its left hand, right hand free to reach around to its back, grabbing a shotgun stored there and hitting the opponent in the chest with the barrel, unloading several shots into the body of the Altron, Vulcans firing at its head. Falling to the ground with a loud, lifeless "thud," the call was made:

[BATTLE ENDED]

"Levanah Morgan is the winner! Let's give her a big round of applause, folks!" Haley shouted, to the cheers of the crowd. "This concludes the second pair of battles of the tournament!"

Zang fell to his knees, eyes wide and mouth agape, unable to believe what just happened. His eyes turned to the ground. _There... there must be some mistake... I had... I..._ His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching him. He looked up, a hand outstretched towards him.

"Nice try, ZERO system is a good touch to a primarily melee-oriented Gunpla like that. I can see why you went with an Epyon theme for it." Levanah spoke kindly, a smile on her face. "Problem was you weren't really taking the fight seriously. That'll cost ya' big time." Zang remained silent, turning his head. He sighed, then let her help himself up.

"Hmnh..." Zang then turned away, collecting his Gunpla. "I won't be so careless next time." He said with a bit of anger in his voice, not looking at his opponent. "...good luck with the rest of the tournament." He walked off in a bit of a sulk, staring down at his broken Gundam.

Levanah shrugged, grabbing her Crossbone and walking off, looking up at Haley for a moment. The older girl gave her a quick wink, causing her to smile. _That's one match down... but it's only gonna be tougher from here on out_... As she left the court, she noticed Jen waiting for her.

"Not bad, little Levanah." the woman said with a comforting smile. "Ah, there I go again. You must forgive me, old habits die hard."

"I-it's all right." the brunette girl said with a bit of hesitation.

"You seem troubled, is something wrong?"

"I guess I'm just surprised to see you here, Miss Mul." Levanah shrugged.

"Ah, not that much of a surprise now, is it?" she questioned. "We all have our hobbies, don't we? Why last I heard even your father seems to have taken quite a shine to Gunpla Battling."

"I... guess."

"Captain." an African-American man dressed in similar attire to Jen, save the red being replaced for a golden yellow color, approached the woman. "McNeil has made the necessary adjustments to the model, and I have just completed updating the GP Base." he said to her in a calm, calculating tone of voice.

"Ah, thank you Mr. Russ. Trust that we will not have a repeat of last time, yes?" Jen replied, to Levanah's confusion.

"Everything is working within parameters." the man reassured.

"Woah woah woah, wait, what's going on?" Levanah asked, lost in this sudden interruption.

"Ah forgive me, I guess I can explain a little bit to you, it's not like it will be some sort of big secret for long." Jen said with a shrug. "I'm not doing this alone. It's a team effort, really, with me and some of my cohorts from the Navy. They insisted on helping when I brought the subject up, and, well, here we are."

"Ah... OK, this is making a bit more sense now." the brunette girl remarked, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Truth be told I'm not the best builder. But McNeil has been more than willing to help in that department. Russ here's worked with me on the programming. And of course, I'm the one doing the battling." The woman tuned, about to walk away. She gave the girl one last look, still smiling. "Don't let your guard down, kiddo. Things will only get tougher from here."

"I'll... keep that in mind." Levanah replied hesitantly, finding the comment oddly chilling, as if there were something sinister to its tone. She watched the pair leave, almost jumping as she heard another match come to a close.

[BATTLE ENDED]

Looking back at the court, she saw the victor being cheered by the crowd. A man in his 30s with messy, somewhat spiky, very dark brown hair, goatee matching his hair color, dressed in a blue suit and matching pants, white shirt underneath. Levanah stared for a moment, seeming to recognize him. After a moment she realized how quickly that match had gone by; her conversation with Ms. Mul couldn't have lasted longer than a minute. Listening in, she could hear Haley commentating through the crowd's cheers.

"That must be a record, folks! Max Burns put up a good fight, but Kristopher Tigre just dominated the battle!" she shouted excitedly, tone of surprise in her voice. Levanah dashed back to the seats, questioning her friends on what happened when she arrived.

"We're as surprised as you are." Blair began to explain, "'Wild Titus' is what I think he called his Gunpla, though its chest seemed to be based on the Maxter's, legs coming from the Beginning Gundam."

"It was relentless! He just kept going at it!" Belle shouted, jabbing at the air in front of her slightly.

"Guess I'll have to keep an eye out next time..." Levanah commented, watching the next four fighters come in. _This is definitely gonna tougher from here on out_...

* * *

Match after match went by, battles both quick and exhausting, fights of relentless force, cunning tactics, and... amusing gimmicks. But from the reaction of the crowds, this would be the match they were waiting for. One of the other fighters bowed out of his match just to make sure he and his opponent could watch it without distraction. Haley addressed the crowd:

"It seems like this is a big one, folks! Next match is between Greco Logan-" cheers filled the air, causing her to pause for a moment, "-eh heh, and Jen Mul!" Especially loud cheers for Greco came from a man sitting not that far from Levanah's group, easily recognizable as Ricardo Fellini.

The two fighters entered, Greco by himself and Jen flanked by two others, Mr. Russ from before and another, brown-haired man wearing an outfit similar to the other two, apparently the man they were referring to as "McNeil." They all approached the Gunpla Battle Field.

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GP BASE]

Greco and Jen did as such, Jen's cohorts giving silent nods to the woman.

[BEGINNING PLAVSKY PARTICLE DISPERSAL]

The field filled with the blue glow of the particles, surrounding the fighters.

[FIELD 01: SPACE]

The holograms produced a small debris field in space, a space colony in the background of it.

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GUNPLA]

Greco smirked, placing down a green, modified Tallgeese. Jen placed hers down, McNeil smiling at it.

Blair let out a quiet gasp. "L-Levanah, look..."

"Hmn?"

"That Gunpla... it's..."

[BATTLE START]

"Greco Logan! Tallgeese Valhalla! Let's go!"

"Jen Mul, Phoenix Gundam Voyager. Engage."

Greco's Gunpla, a Tallgeese III with a primarily dark green color scheme, gold highlights and details breaking up the color a bit, burst forth from the starting position and quickly attempted to take aim at his opponent. Jen's Gunpla, a Phoenix Gundam painted primarily grey and bluish-grey, with few reddish-orange highlights and vibrant, sky blue chest panels, began zig-zagging, preventing Greco from getting a lock. Greco responded by closing in, keeping an eye on his opponent's movements. For a moment she seemed to hesitate, Greco having his Gunpla grab its Beam Saber and attempt to stab at the Phoenix Gundam.

"Too easy." Jen muttered with a smirk, dodging easily and having her Gunpla fly backwards, transforming to its Mobile Armor mode. A sharp, blatantly noticeable difference in speed between the two suddenly became apparent to Greco, who had his Tallgeese dash back to cover in the debris, trying to bait his opponent into closing in on him. This proved to be a mistake, as the sound of Funnels rushing towards him put him back on the defensive. A barrage of beams flew towards him, most firing past with a few hitting the Tallgeese's shield.

"Come on, Greco!" Fellini shouted through the crowd, clear sound of worry in his voice.

"Levvy, what is that thing?" Belle quietly asked her friend.

"A Phoenix Gundam..." she replied in a hushed tone. "A videogame-exclusive Gundam, like Haley's Extreme. Gunpla of it is even less common than, though, and from the look of things, she's modified it a good deal..."

"Look at her, she's... she's just toying with him." Blair spoke with a hint of shock in his voice. "Some of those funnel shots missed on purpose."

Jen let out a friendly laugh. "Come on, old champ, you're not that rusty!" The funnels continued firing at the Tallgeese, Greco giving a smirk.

"You're right." The shield's Heat Rod extended, and with a fearless burst of speed he charged down the Funnels one by one, slashing at them before they could fire at him. He quickly turned to face the opposing Gunpla, Mega Beam Cannon charging. The Phoenix Gundam didn't move this time, standing there as the Tallgeese fired at it. The beam connected... into a barrier surrounding Jen's Gunpla.

"A-an I-Field?!" Levanah shouted.

"No, that was something stronger." Blair commented, adjusting his glasses. "Maybe a GN Field, though there'd be a more blatant tell..."

Back at the battle, Jen let out another laugh, Greco charging up another shot. "It seems you know that this won't hold forever..." The wing cannons on the Phoenix Gundam took aim at its opponent, quickly charging. "But you won't have the chance."

"Phased Beam Cannons at maximum charge, Captain." Russ stated.

"Time to end this!" Jen shouted, tapping on the holographic controls. "Phased Beam Cannons, FIRE!"

Greco's eyes went wide as he saw four titanic beams fly towards his Tallgeese. He attempted to dodge, but it was too late; the beams tore through the Gunpla like a hot knife through butter. The remnants were knocked back hard enough that they almost went out of bounds, following explosion signaled the end to the match.

[BATTLE ENDED]

The crow was silent for a moment, but then started cheering. Jen and McNeil gave each other a high-five, Russ merely nodding with approval.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner is: Jen Mul!" Haley announced to the howling crowd. "And with that out of the way, all matches of the first round are over! The tournament will take a break, and resume at 2 PM. So please, take your time to stretch, get some lunch, and be aware that there's a special, free Gunpla giveaway in the lobby. See you all soon!"

Levanah looked up at her father as if to ask him something, who himself was unsure how to react to this. Noticing her, he gave a shrug. "I'm as surprised as you are, kiddo. Can't say I was expecting... that."

On the ground floor, Jen had already collected her Gunpla, walking over to Greco and offering him a hand. He sighed, but smiled and shook it, congratulating her on the victory. "Guess I am getting a bit rusty, but next time will be different."

"Hah, I'm just glad to see you've still got some fighting spirit in there." she replied with a smile. "Though we don't intend on losing any time in the foreseeable future. We've got a lot riding on this tournament."

"Good luck then, Miss Mul." Greco nodded, turning to gather the remains of his Tallgeese and walking off, Fellini already out of the crowds, waiting for him.

_We don't need luck_. the woman thought to herself with a smirk. _We're going to help change the world... for the better_.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Gundam franchise or anything even resembling it. If I did, the Gundam Breaker game series would have gotten console and PC releases worldwide by now. I'd probably also take more time off during the holidays.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Because It's Our Destiny **

* * *

"I'm telling you, the G Reco Ending song should have been switched with the Opening." Blair said emphatically to the group sitting at a table outside Madison Square Garden. Belle was listening quietly while slowly sipping a soda, amused by the ongoing conversation.

"Look we've been over this, yes the Ending song works better than the Opening, but the Opening doesn't really work as the Ending. It'd be like trying to close out Wing with 'Just Communication.'" Levanah replied, rolling her eyes.

"I dunno, that seems a bit too far. 'Blazing' doesn't really have the impact that 'Just Communication' does. It's upbeat and all, but wouldn't have such a dramatic shift." Haley, sitting next to Levanah, arm wrapped around her, injected into the conversation. "Does work for either opening or ending, I'd say. 'G no Senko' is the better song of the two, I'll admit to that at least."

"Fair enough." Levanah nodded, finishing off the last couple of her fries.

"Where'd your dad head off to anyway? He seemed to be in a hurry after getting lunch." the blonde girl questioned, twirling one of her purple-dyed strands of hair.

"He... wanted to ask Ms. Mul something." the brunette replied in a hesitant tone, pulling her cap down a little. Her unease was hard to describe, as if there were something subtly off from how she remembered the woman. "She was a close friend of his years ago, along with a few others."

"I remember her. Was quite surprised to see her again, especially here of all places." a girl's voice piped up, drawing Levanah's attention. Recognizing it as Rin, she turned in her direction... and the brunette and her friends had to hold back the giggling once they saw what she was wearing.

"Pftt... m-mind explaining, Rin?" Blair inquired, trying the hardest not to laugh. Rin's outfit was a simple but striking orange martial arts gi and pants, with a blue undershirt, cloth belt, and armbands, boots of a darker blue with yellow details. Even her usually wavy, messy long red hair seemed to be spiked a bit.

"I... well, you see, Yajima is thinking of expanding its 'Gunpla Battle' franchise into a broader range." she began to explain, scratching the back of her head. "The idea is to have it eventually become a broader 'Plamo Battle' franchise, with different game modes for different series with Plamo kits. I helped a bit with the programming on this one, and we put on a bit of a... ah, tech demo."

"Of course, you'd pick _that_ Figurerise kit." Levanah commented, smirking a little. "You already have the outfit for cosplay. Harder to get a new karate bugman or armored superhero one, and I know you'd never dress up as a pirate." The brunette stuck her tongue out at Rin, the ginger girl giving a glare.

"Well, I guess it would certainly be a flashy demonstration." Belle spoke up, smiling wide. "Kinda wish I got to see it."

"If everything goes as planned, you'll get that chance." Rin stated with confidence, crossing her arms. "Bandai execs were certainly impressed."

"So how long did you stay up at night practicing your shouting?" Levanah teased. "Manage to at least get to yell his signature attack?"

"Laugh it up, _kaizoku_, but don't act like you'd be all that different given the chance." the redhead responded, frowning. A moment of silence passed before the two shared a laugh. "Congrats on making it past the first round, by the way."

"Still wish it played out a bit more seriously."

"You're just upset you didn't get to show-off." Rin sniped, sticking out her tongue, the brunette faking a frown. "I'll be looking forward to seeing what you have in store." The ginger girl said with a smirk, continuing on her way.

"Well." Haley finally piped up, the group's attention turning to her. "As much as I'd like to stay, gotta make sure my stuff's all set up for the start of the next set of matches." She planted a quick kiss on Levanah's cheek, a shy smile crawling across her face accompanying a noticeable blush, and moved to grab her guitar case. As she stepped out of the booth, head turned to wink at Levanah, she walked face-first into another person. A moment of confusion passed before she could see who it was, and to the surprise of the group, it was one of the competitors, Kristopher Tigre.

"Woah woah, what's the rush, Haley?" He addressed the girl in a familiar tone, replacing the group's surprise with confusion. The blonde's reply transformed that confusion into shock.

"Gah, sorry uncle, didn't see you there."

"U-uncle?!" Levanah shouted in a fading surprise. She figured the person looked familiar, and finally was able to pinpoint why.

"Oh, never really got the chance to introduce you two. I guess. Levanah, my Uncle Tigre." Haley said with an apologetic tone, pointing to the man with her thumb. "Uncle Tigre, my-"

"Your girlfriend, I know, I know." he finished, pulling out a card from his pocket. "Kristopher Tigre, attorney-at-law." He handed the card to the brunette girl.

"Daaaad." an annoyed grunt came from a short brunette girl with her hair done up in a ponytail, no more than 10 years old and dressed in a black and blue dress with white boots over her striped thigh-highs, standing beside him. "Can you let work go for just a day? You're at the American Championships."

"Hahaa! Sorry, sorry, force of habit." the man laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, his kid giving a soft jab to his arm.

Haley sighed and scooted away from her relatives' antics, waving to a bewildered Levanah. Attention quickly turned back to the new pair, the man clearing his throat. "So you're that Crossbone pilot, huh?" Levanah gave a quiet nod in response. "Haha, well you handled yourself decently in the first round, but don't expect me to go easy on ya' just because you're my niece's girlfriend." The girl's friends chuckled softly as she tried to pull her cap down to hide her face.

"Ah, Mister Tigre, I've been meaning to ask you." Blair spoke up, adjusting his glasses slightly. "That 'Wild Titus' of yours, I wasn't quite expecting something like it. While the build quality seems impressive, I take it you haven't exhausted all its tricks just yet. I'd assume-"

"Woah there kid, while I appreciate the compliment, can't start talking about what all my Gunpla can do just yet." He looked at Levanah wit a somewhat friendly smirk. "Especially when a potential opponent's within earshot."

"Understandable." the Asian boy said in agreement. "Still, you seem quite skilled. How long have you been at Gunpla Battle?"

"Haha! About as long as ol' 'Mad Bull' over there." He nodded in the direction of Greco, chatting and enjoying a meal with Fellini and another figure, a woman with dark blue hair sitting in a purple dress. "Actually got to fight him one time in the past. He wiped the floor with me."

"That's putting it mildly." the younger girl added, crossing her arms.

"But that was then, and this is now. Sort of felt like I had a chance at beating 'em this time around, but that ended up not being the case." He shrugged. "Either him or Nils, would be nice going up against the other American champ. Ah, but last I heard he's gonna represent Yajima. Oh well."

"Well actually-" Levanah attempted to correct him, but Kristopher didn't notice and continued.

"Now where'd Haley run off to?" he inquired, looking around for his niece. "Funny, I could have sworn she was here just a minute ago..."

"I think you scared her off, dad." the girl answered with an annoyed sigh. "Probably worried about you making a fool of yourself in front of her girlfriend. Well, more-so than usual."

"Katie, sweetie..." he grumbled, but seemed to retract any potential complaint. "Anyway, nice finally meeting you, Crossbone girl. Next set of matches are gonna be starting up soon, so we should get going. Good luck with your battle!"

* * *

The first set of second round matches went off with a bang. In a colony city, Gregory Glenn stuck with his Red Frame Astray, the biggest change being an oversized Gerbera Straight, over a meter in length and looking more like it would fit the hands of a human than a Gunpla. In spite of a surprising amount of agility and grace in using the oversized weapon, though, Paulina Sykes' GX-Falcon flew circles around it, warily avoiding sword strikes and managing to get a number of carefully planned shots in on her opponent. Under the pressure, the Astray simply couldn't keep up, and a lucky Beam Machinegun hit in the torso put it down for good.

Levanah meanwhile was facing off against a blue Jegan with a Gouf head, Heat Rod, and shield in a tundra setting. Taking care to not repeat the mistakes of her previous opponent, the pilot kept to a tactical approach, trying to lure the girl into its attacks. Conscious of this, Levanah instead kept her distance, the Crossbone EXCELSA's Twin Murasama Busters taking sniping shots when possible.

As the other battle ended, Levanah's raged on, neither fighter giving the other an inch to work off of. Finally attempting to gain the upper hand, the Jegan managed to feint an attack and close in on the Crossbone, Heat Rod ready for a fierce strike. Thinking fast, Levanah locked one of her Gunpla's weapons down and prepped the Beam Shield, blocking the attack.

"Gotcha!" Levanah shouted with a confident smirk as the Beam Shield began to rotate, obliterating the entirety of the Heat Rod. Before her opponent could manage a response, the shield moved upwards over the Crossbone's fist, the spiraling energy focusing to a single point. "This is it! Beam... _Drill_... _BRANDER!_" the girl shouted, pulling back the control and punching it forward, her Gundam mimicking her motions and plunging a large Beam Drill into the Jegan's side, tearing away at the armor and messily bisecting the enemy Gunpla. With a satisfying explosion, the match was called.

[BATTLE ENDED]

"Let's give a big round of applause to the victors, folks!" Haley shouted to a cheering audience. Paulina flashed two V-signs while giving a wide, toothy smile, Levanah just raising her fist before approaching her opponent and congratulating him on the fight. "Those were some great battles, but this round is far from over!"

As the fighters left the field, Jen Mul and her cohorts watched on in the lunch room. "Well well, quite an amusing little show your kid can put on, Mike. Little Levanah's growing up so fast." Jen thought aloud.

"Pardon, captain?" Mr. Russ asked.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Just realizing that Raito's failures weren't all his doing."

"My brother still has much to learn about Gunpla battle in either case." a younger girl's voice addressed the three, causing them all to turn around.

"Ah, Meri Yamato, to what do I owe the favor?" Jen spoke with a comforting smile.

"Merely in the area. Felt like checking up on you three... asking about your encounter with that girl's father." her tone took a sharp turn from friendly to serious.

"Ahaha! Mike and I go way back. I remember when he, Jean and I... well, anyway, while he seemed concerned I managed to smooth things over with him. Really, it was nothing that would endanger out mission." Jen crossed her arms. "Have there been any serious problems lately? I know about the last... incident, but we're more than ready should push come to shove with the girl."

"Very well, we cannot stand another loss after the last..." she hesitated, looking down. "...Eight."

"Eight? You mean... but what happened to..." Jen's face became filled with confusion. _Well crap. That's the perfect way to put a damper on your spirits._ She thought silently.

The girl let out an exhausted sigh. She looked around with an exaggerated, almost comedic frown on her face, eyebrows furling as she noticed Fellini. "Well, Luca didn't stand a chance against _him_, for starters. Tomas lost in the first round, and by all accounts it was... painful to watch. Kalem made it to the semi-finals, but de Sand was too much for him to handle. Gabriel..." she shuddered for a moment, "...I don't know _what_ he came down with, but just _thinking_ about it makes me queasy. Needless to say, he will be unable to participate in Gunpla Battle for quite some time."

The trio listened on in stunned silence as the girl continued. "Hwiung had to forfeit because of his sister's operation, and we're not going to pressure him on that. Won't serve well with anyone's conscious forcing him not to be there for her. Rixiang broke her arms during an event she absolutely refuses to share to anyone, but from what her family mentioned, a lobster and a baby panda were involved. Leo might have been able to head to one of Japan's regional divisions, but apparently a cousin of his, Shirona... well, I guess there's a reason some of the Gunpla academies in Japan are looking to recruit her. And, well, you are already fully aware of what happened to Raito."

Jen rested her face in the palm of her hand. "The only ones left are you, me, and Marke. Am I correct?"

"...yes." Meri sighed with hint of shame.

"Fantastic. Just... fantastic." the woman commented in irritation, rubbing her forehead as if listening to that gave her a headache. "I take it you will attempt to convince the champion?"

"It... is still worth a shot I believe." her hesitation became apparent, aware of how difficult such a task would be. "Iori Sei could become a valuable asset if we can convince him. So it's here in America and over in England that we have to focus our concerns on for now."

"Has Marke improved enough to be able to win over 'across the pond?' I know Julian is in the tournament this year." McNiel spoke up from behind Jen.

"I guess that there's the good news." the girl shrugged. "From what I can tell, he's improved significantly. He seems more driven, too, since we're down to such a small official number, and I hope to avoid going to more... drastic measures again." she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to make sure things don't come to that, right? It's not like our Voyager is going to go down without a fight." Jen spoke up with a sense of pride, trying to reassure the girl. She was less than convinced, but reacted in a manner that showed she at least appreciated the thought.

"As long as we can manage to expand the potential of the Plavsky particles, it will be worth it." Meri crossed her arms. "Yajima will either bend or break by the time this tournament is over. Their monopoly can't last forever."

"Rest assured, Miss Yamato, we will be able to accomplish our goals without much difficulty, based on the information we have available." Mr. Russ added. "It is important, however, that we do not let our guard down. We are all aware that there are abilities that the fighters in this tournament have not yet showcased." He turned his head to the monitor, the next pair of fights already underway.

* * *

"Take this! _Wiiiiild... Lariat_!" Kristopher shouted, directing his Gunpla to charge at his opponent. A spinning beam around the arm of his Wild Titus almost connected to the enemy Gunpla, a ZAKU Phantom with a Mirage Colloid system built in. In spite of the miss, the ZAKU stumbled, almost falling prey to a swift leg strike by the Wild Titus. Attempting to retake control, it released a flurry of weapons' fire, cloaking itself and trying to take cover behind the ruins of a building. A tense silence hovered, broken only by the footsteps of the Wild Titus slowly, cautiously trying to locate its opponent.

Kristopher took a deep breath, closing his eyes and focusing purely on audio cues. At last he heard the opposing Gunpla's slow, calculated movements. Without a moment to lose, he locked on to the ZAKU, it about to fire down at the Wild Titus. To its surprise, a grappling hook burst out from the arm of Kristopher's Gunpla, grabbing it and yanking it closer. "Let's try this again! _WILD LARIAT!_" he shouted, the spinning beam around the Gunpla's free arm activating as it dashed forward at full speed, grappling hook reeling in like . This time, the attack hit home, messily tearing the enemy Gunpla in half and finishing off the ZAKU Phantom for good.

[BATTLE ENDED]

As the holograms disappeared, the crowd cheered. Kristopher congratulated his opponent with a high-five. He could see his daughter sitting with Levanah's group, cheering wildly.

"Dad may act like a dork most of the time, but when he's serious, things can be quite a turnabout." she said with a wide, ecstatic grin to the others.

"He's good, no question about that." Blair spoke with affirmation. "More than appearances suggest. It's obvious that he has more in store."

"Levvy, you really think you can beat him?" Belle asked with a tone of concern, biting her thumb.

"Hrmn... well..." Levanah hesitated in answering. _If things get really dicey, I'll have to..._

"Hah, you're good, Pirate Girl, but dad's not going down that easily." Katie interjected smugly. "He'll defeat you in battle in no time."

_Oh lord here we go_... Levanah thought to herself, trying to find a way to deflect from the subject at hand. "That's a whole other round before either of us would be able to face each other, let's wait until after that before we go into who's better, ok?"

The younger girl gave a fake frown. "You're no fun." She leaned back in her seat, tossing some popcorn in her mouth. "Guess Haley really was exaggerating over you..." she grumbled.

_Exaggerating over... what, exactly?_ Levanah began to speculate to herself, turning away.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Gundam franchise or anything even resembling it or any other fictional works. If I did, a Master Grade Crossbone Maoh would have been released by now.

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Breeze Before Dawn**

* * *

"Phased Beam Cannons ready, Captain." Mr. Russ stated in a calm, calculated manner.

"Then it's time to end this little game." Jen remarked with almost smug confidence. In anticipation for a torrent of weapons fire from her opponent, a 17 year old boy dressed in a Titans uniform piloting a METEOR-equipped Strike Feedom inMobile Suit-appropriate Titans colors, she commanding her Phoenix Gundam Voyager to swiftly shift into Mobile Armor mode and dodge the incoming barrage of beams. The few that managed to make contact were dispersed by the Gundam's barriers. Closing in on the enemy Gunpla, the Phoenix Gundam dashed downwards, making sure to avoid a second volley.

"You're good, kid, but beamspam like that is best reserved as something to take out grunts and other forms of cannon fodder. Not powerful enough to take out something built to tank such hits, unlike..." The weapons on the Phoenix Gundam Voyager flung forward as it transformed back into its Mobile Suit mode. "...this! Phased Beam Cannons, FIRE!"

Before the boy could react, four titanic beams burst from his opponent's Gunpla, the beams themselves too wide and too close to effectively dodge. Like a glowing red hot knife through warm butter, they tore the Strike Freedom apart. Jen's foe hung his head in a manner accepting his defeat.

[BATTLE ENDED]

The crowds cheered at the victorious fighter, Jen and her cohorts all taking a bow.

"I still don't get how that shield of hers works. Is it some kind of Lightwave thing? Mirage Colloid? Or could it be... hrmn..." Blair thought aloud.

"Could be what?" Levanah questioned, eyes fixed on Jen and her team.

"Something like what Iori Sei developed for his Build-series of Gunpla. Direct manipulation of the Plavsky particles... though he needed a decent charge-up time or external particle sources for some of the flashier effects."

"Could she really have something on par with Sei's Absorb and Discharge systems?" the brunette girl asked with anxiety in her voice, fully aware of what such a thing would mean if she faced the woman in battle.

"You remember what that Cosmos did last year, don't you?" Blair inquired, knowing the answer already. "Might be that her Gunpla can take in particles from the field directly... or perhaps manipulate the ones already around the Phoenix Gundam..."

"Pfah. My dad could still take her." the girl sitting near them spoke up in a haughty tone, to Blair's annoyance. Her confidence in the statement, however, seemed to be something more than childish care for her parent to Belle and Levanah; Katie seemed to have a firm grasp on just what her father could do, and Jen's displays didn't phase her in the slightest.

"She's not even close to using what she's really capable of, though." Rin injected into the conversation as the next battle started up. "You can tell it in how she fights, still mostly toying with her opponents. That Phoenix Gundam Voyager of hers is probably filled from head to toe with gimmicks." She made a threatening, almost devious grin, mumbling to herself quietly. "Starting to wish I didn't take up Yajima's offer..."

"You're just saying that because you want to show off." her brunette friend commented, tilting the tip of her baseball cap up and looking up at the redhead.

"Oh shut it, _kaizoku_. Like you aren't doing this to impress a certain someone." Rin growled, looking to the blonde singer in the middle of the court. Levanah went quiet, glaring at the ginger girl as her face became bright pink.

"Rin, be nice." Mike spoke up, patting his daughter on the shoulder. _Some things never do change_... "That's not the _only_ reason she entered, right, kiddo?" he asked with a teasing smirk.

"Daaaad!"

* * *

A little past 5 o'clock, after another intermission had been called at the Championships. A large portion of the people there for the tournament have decided to get themselves some sort of dinner in the various restaurants in the nearby area, a recently opened Gundam Cafe being among the prime locations, greatly enjoying the promotion the Tournament was bringing. Among the patrons were Levanah's group of friends, classmates, and family, enjoying a treat courtesy of the girl's father.

"So let's see, that's two Gundam Burgers, one Char Zaku Burger, two MP Zaku Burgers with extra avacados, one SEED Kebab, one Jaburo Salad, one Hyaku Shiki Omelet, one large Reentry Pizza to share, and a Feddie Dog." a waiter ran down a list of items. "And are you all good on drinks?"

"A Sayla Mass, Minovsky, and Reconguista for these three." Mike pointed to Blair, Belle, and another of Levanah's classmates. "Haro, Frau, Strike Freedom, and Tri-Stars for these four." he pointed at three others of her class and Katie. "A Red Comet for this one here." the man then pointed at Rin, cleaning her classes with the fabric of her costume gi. "And for these two..." Mike finally turned to Haley and his daughter smiling. "...get them a couple Blue Stars."

"And what about you two gentlemen?"

"Mister Tigre?" Mike asked the other man sitting at the table.

"One Erupting God Finger, sweetheart."

"Hah, want something to put a hole in your stomach, ey?" the older man chuckled. "I'll take a Casval on the rocks."

"All right, drinks will be here momentarily, drinks will be here soon, and do you folks want anything else?" the waitress asked with a cheery grin. With a collective headshake of "no" from the group, the waitress thanked them all and went on her way. They began to converse among themselves, all giving a toast to both Levanah and Kristopher's victories when their drinks finally arrived.

"Perhaps a bit premature, but I doubt either of you are going to go down without a fight next match." Haley commented, sipping on her drink slowly as she sat next to Levanah, smiling at her.

Rin, sitting next to them both, chuckled at that, providing her own comment, "Feh, of course not. Just look at them, they're all... protagonist-y."

"That isn't even a word!" one of Levanah's classmates, a somewhat tall Indian-American boy wearing a black shirt of a Haro with a knife taped to it, protested half-heartedly.

"Besides, you could probably find a lot of people here that look... 'protagonist-y,' like that Paulina girl Levanah is up against next." Blair pointed out.

"She dresses like Garrod Ran and uses a GX-Divider with G-Falcon parts. Of course she _looks_ the part." the ginger girl snapped back. "But looks are one thing, history, background, motivations, actions... there's where you get to the real meat of the matter."

"This isn't some kind of anime, Rin." Levanah giggled. "Besides, what does that make you? Actually, don't answer that, I think your choices for food and drink already make it clear what you _want_ us to think."

Rin burst our laughing. "Got me there! But it's not like I'm going to start drop-kicking things in battle."

"I think your Gunpla's fine-tuned enough as-is, no need to throw any more references into it." the brunette said with a smirk.

"Hey hey, who's making extraneous references now?" Rin snapped back at her with an accusation. "Just how many other mechs inspired that thing?"

"Point taken, point taken." Levanah backed off, Haley looking away and whistling nonchalantly.

"Hey, actually, can I see your GP-Base for a second?"

"Wha, why?"

"Curiosity." Rin stated plainly. Levanah gave a look that told the shorter girl that she quite clearly didn't seem convinced that such an answer was sufficient. "What? It's not like you're gonna fight me unless you claim victory in the last round here, not going to shout your secrets to the 'enemy' over there." she pointed with two fingers at Kristopher, the man giving a quiet chuckle.

"Fine, fine... just... oh forget it." Levanah recanted, handing it over. The redhead looked at it, analyzing its stats and abilities. "Impressive, you really have outdone yourself... to think, this was your old X-7, ah they grow up so-" she stopped, a certain ability catching her eye. "Wait, you seriously put Fa-" Haley cut her short, covering the younger girl's mouth with her hand and shushing her with an audible "Shhhh!" Rin sighed and relented finishing that question, handing the GP-Base back to Levanah with a knowing smirk across her face. "Can't wait to see that in action, then."

"No spoilers, little missy!" Kristopher waved his finger no at her. "I'm not sharing any of my secrets just yet, and I won't have anyone throwing out any of hers. We do things the proper way over here." Rin merely rolled her eyes in response.

The group continued to talk amongst themselves until their food arrived, their waitress and a couple others carefully handing out the dishes.

"Thank you, Miss..." Mike quickly looked at the somewhat young, blonde waitress's nametag, as her name seemed to escape him previously. "...ah, Aker."

"Not at all, Mister Morgan! It's not every day you get to serve dinner for a former U.S. President." she replied with a chuckle.

"Hah hah! Please, no need for such formalities. Right now, I'm just a dad taking his daughter and her friends out for a little meal. I mean, it's not like I'm President Hughes or anything."

"I imagine he has days like this too." Levanah spoke up before taking a bite out of her recently acquired Gundam Burger, the white bun with mark on the RX-78's face stamped into it now with a noticeable bite mark. In fact, everyone but Mike seemed to be quick at work devouring their respective meals, even little Katie seemed to be somehow almost halfway finished with her hotdog.

Mike let out a hearty laugh. "Hahaa, well, Guess they like it." The waitress left them with a wave as Mike finally took a bite out of his own meal, letting them finish their food in peace.

* * *

"Ah, cheer up, Greco." Fellini spoke up, patting his friend on the back. He was sitting in a rather classy restaurant with two others, one a woman, and the other the former American champ.

"Yeah yeah, I know, this isn't like me. Just starting to wonder if..." the tall, muscular man started.

"...if?" the woman with long, blue hair in a burgundy dress repeated. While not immediately obvious to the rest of the folks in the rather classy restaurant they were all seated in, the woman was none other than Japanese Gunpla Idol singer Kirara. She slowly drank from a tall, classy Champaign glass matching the others' two glasses, their meal a small, reserved serving of a few sushi rolls.

"If I'm starting to hit my limit, you know? Starting to think about how hard it is to teach old dogs new tricks." Greco sighed, taking a sip from his drink. "Maybe it's not that it exactly, I don't mind losing a round or two, but I think... I'm not setting a very good example as an opponent. Not presenting much of a challenge to the folks coming out with fancier and fancier tricks."

"Old guard thinking the new blood's already outpacing 'em? Hah, Greco, pal, believe me you aren't the only one who's been thinking that, trying to come to terms with it." Fellini leaned back in his seat, placing his glass down and reminiscing about the last couple Championships, especially his training with Reiji and matches against the boy and Sei. "The real trick is to not fall into the trap of believing you've got nothing left to learn, and nothing left to give."

"The 'Italian Dandy' is right, Mister Logan." a man's voice called towards them, the trio turning to see who it belonged to. They were somewhat surprised as it belonged to one member of Jen Mul's group, McNiel, sitting with the other two. "Just because you lost to the Captain over here, don't start fretting that you're not able to keep up."

"In fact..." Jen herself continued. "You probably put on one of the toughest fights I've had since we started." Her voice was full of a friendly tone, but gave the impression that she was aware of how much she was talking herself up.

"Now that's a frightening thought." Greco laughed. It was certainly easing his spirits a bit, though the idea that her Phoenix Gundam Voyager had torn through leagues of others with greater ease than how she defeated him was not the most welcoming one. "Just what have you made that thing of anyway?"

Jen let out a laugh. "Ah, but that would be telling, wouldn't it?"

"'Telling,' huh?" the other woman remarked with a frown.

"Let's just say that the secrets of Plavsky Particles are anything but child's play." Jen gave a confident, but paradoxically somewhat threatening smile. "If anything, folks like you two are probably fully aware of just what they're capable of, am I wrong?" She pointed at Fellini and the disguised Kirara, the same smile on her face. The two were naturally hesitant to respond, recalling the incident from two years ago, aware of just how close to disaster they came, and with lingering memories of the desperate battle to avoid it they had to endure.

"You are not wrong at all." a boy's voice answered for them, attention turning to him. Nils Nielson, dressed in a quite fancy if somewhat conspicuous kimono, Caroline with both of her arms wrapped around his left one, stepped forward. "Of course, they aren't the only ones."

"Haha, if it isn't the Samurai Boy! And his lovely young lady, too." Fellini said to him fondly, raising his glass in the direction of the new arrivals.

"A pleasure as always, 'Italian Dandy.'" Nils bowed. "Though, I'm interested in that comment you just made, Miss... Mul, was it?"

"I'd say it's not nice to eavesdrop, but then again we can't exactly be excused from it ourselves, can we?" Jen spoke in the same tone in her voice, the same smile on her face.

"You are asking this because you are curious as to the nature of our Gunpla's abilities, am I correct?" Mr. Russ questioned the boy in answering him, aware of where his line of thinking was going.

"I ask because, recently, a good deal of sensitive information was discovered to have been... I'll say, copied, by an outside source. Information related to Gunpla Battle that Yajima wishes would stay in more private quarters." the boy's voice became deadly serious, even Caroline's friendly smile had changed into a cold stare. "Would any of you happen to know anything about it?"

To the boy's surprise, the three seemed legitimately confused at the question. "We can't say for sure, but..." Jen started, thinking deeply. "...at the very least, _our_ Gunpla has nothing to do with such an incident. I'll tell you what, kiddo, ask us again after the fiinal round tomorrow and we'll probably have something useful to tell you. That sound like a fair deal?"

For a moment, Nils was unsure how to take the new information he was presented with, but decided that such a potential lead would be too good to pass up. "I feel that is an acceptable proposal." he stated with a nod.

"Are you sure?" Caroline asked him quietly. "There could be something more to this... could be a trap."

"It's the best shot we have." he replied quickly. "I look forward to it then, Voyager Team."

"As do we, Mister Nilson." Mr. Russ replied, Jen and McNeil nodding in agreement. Nils and Caroline decided to sit with Fellini's trio and chat with them.

_We have some questions we want answered as well_. Jen thought to herself, trying to keep her face from frowning. _The world needs at the least, that much._

* * *

"Aaaaallll right, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Gunpla Battle fans of all ages! I trust you all had a nice little break there?" Haley addresses the stadium again, her Gunpla band following a simple flight path around her as the crowd cheered. It was 6:30 in the evening, the last set of matches for the day. Haley spoke up again, "Then let's welcome these fantastic fighters one more time!" Haley started up a Rock-influenced take on G Gundam's "Winner's Elegy" as the four Fighters entered. Levanah and her next opponent, Paulina Sykes, were already sizing each other up before they got to the Battle Field. Both of them seemed confident in their abilities, ready to take on whatever the other could dish out.

"So, Crossbone Girl, you've made it this far, but don't think your win streak is gonna last!" Paulina boasted with a wide smirk across her face, fingers running through her dark blue hair.

"You're one to talk, Girl Garrod. I'm not going down without a fight!" Levanah shouted back, the look on her face clearly showing that she was feeling even more psyched up than usual.

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GP BASE]

Both did as instructed, Kristopher and his opponent also preparing themselves for their battle.

[BEGINNING PLAVSKY PARTICLE DISPERSAL]

The blue glow emanated from the Battle Field, both girls noticing the other two fighters throwing some friendly trash-talk at each other as well.

[FIELD 12: ISLAND]

The holographic projection of a small island with a base on it during night appeared, a full moon visible in the sky, causing Paulina to grin deviously.

"Hah, it looks like fate smiles upon me." she said, pointing to the bright sphere in the night sky.

"Is that so, Usagi?" Levanah teased, actually getting a laugh from her opponent. "Didn't think that Gundam of yours used the Satellite System."

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GUNPLA]

Paulina placed hers down, its eyes lighting up as she gripped her holographic controls. "My Gunpla is full of surprises."

Levanah did the same, placing her Gunpla down, the cloak recently repaired after the last couple bouts of damage. _You're not the only one_. She thought with a smirk.

[BATTLE START]

"Paulina Sykes, GX-Falcon! Time to dance in the pale moonlight!"

"Levanah Morgan, Crossbone Gundam EXCELSA! Time for some piracy!"


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Gundam franchise or anything associated with it. If I did, Gundam X would've gotten more good kits during its initial run.

* * *

**Chapter 11: With the Light of the Moon to Guide Us**

* * *

The two Gundams burst at each other, seemingly matched in speed. Levanah's Crossbone EXCELSA took aim with the pair of Murasama Busters, firing off short flurries of beams whenever she could get a lock on her opponent. But the agility of the GX-Falcon in its Mobile Armor mode, coupled with the quick reflexes of its pilot, proved more than capable of avoiding them.

Paulina smirked. "What's wrong, Crossbone Girl? Seems like you're having trouble..." the GX-Falcon swiftly switched to its Mobile Suit mode almost right above Levanah, Beam Machinegun readied alongside the Scattering Beam Cannons from its sides. "...keeping up!" The counter-attack seemed to take Levanah by surprise, barely getting her Gundam's palm-based I-Fields working in time, the few stray shots being absorbed by the Crossbone's cloak.

"Grh... you're good, I'll give you that." Levanah backed off, heading towards the island, still taking shots at the enemy Gunpla whenever she could. To her dismay, in spite of her careful aiming, every single beam fired missed. Switching tactics, Levanah began using her Gundam's Vulcans once the GX-Falcon was close enough, but managed to do little more than scratch the paint. _Crap, distance isn't working, but I doubt she'd let me get in any closer..._ the brunette girl thought to herself, gritting her teeth. _And I have no idea what she has in store for the Satellite System... I might have to_\- before she could finish that thought, warnings flared, prompting her to instinctively activate her Gundam's I-Fields again, barely with enough time to repel a slash by the GX-Falcon's Beam Saber. "Gah!"

"This isn't the time for daydreaming!" Paulina shouted, kicking her opponent in the legs, sending the Crossbone back as she gained distance again, storing her Beam Saber and pulling out the Beam Machinegun again, firing an intense volley. The shots were also blocked by the I-Fields, but Levanah was having visible trouble regaining control, barely managing to land it on its feet. "Putting up a good fight, so far, but I know you can do better." the blue-haired girl grinned, tapping something on her holographic controls. "Let's see if some extra pressure will put you back into focus."

"Extra pr-" Levanah began to repeat, but quickly realized exactly what she meant. Panels on the wings of the enemy Gunpla's backpack opened up, revealing shimmering, vibrant sections. A faint, bluish laser coming from the moon confirmed her suspicions. Levanah adjusted her cap, readying her Gundam to try and rush the opponent, only for another salvo of beams to come her way, forcing her to move back.

"Come on, don't really think I'm going to leave myself open like that, do you?" Paulina gave a little laugh.

"Hah, was kinda hoping!" Levanah chuckled, remembering the battle against Raito a little over a week ago. She backed off, now using the Beam Shields on the arms as opposed to her Gundam's I-Fields, trying to figure out where the beam would most likely come from. "Others I've faced seem to think the enemy's going to just let them charge up their Satellite Cannon."

"Cannon? Hah, that's where you've got things wrong." The deep hum of the Satellite System sending its energy down to the GX-Falcon filled the stadium, causing the crowd's attention to focus on the battle between the two girls. Levanah's eyes widened as she saw the enemy Gunpla begin to glow slightly... and suddenly transform back into its Mobile Armor mode. "_Satellite Booster! __**FIRE**__!_"

In the blink of an eye, the Gundam accelerated towards Levanah's, a vibrant, blinding light coming from its thrusters as the Gunpla itself gave off a haunting glow. Barely managing to dodge out of the way, Levanah could only watch as the trailing thrust behind the GX-Falcon seemed to keep going and going, Paulina's Gunpla continuing to fly past, eradicating most of the jungle, a significant portion of the buildings in a military base, and even melting a part of the mountain away, a landslide following. When she finally stopped, Paulina was a great deal of distance away from her opponent, almost at the edge of the map. She turned back to look at the path of destruction she caused, letting out a low whistle.

In the stands, Levanah's friends, father, and acquaintances were as awestruck as the rest of the audience around them. Belle was the first to speak up, expressing her concerns to Blair quietly, "Th-that was just like that Raito guy's attack, right? From last week?"

"That it was..." the boy nodded slightly. "It seems she modified the Satellite Cannon into something more... well, I'd say 'unique' best describes it. It seems she's still dependant on the moon being out to receive the energy transmission, but somehow... I think she didn't actually intend to hit Levanah."

"S-she's showing off?!" the blonde girl exclaimed.

"Not quite." Mike spoke up. "I think she's trying to make sure my girl's taking this fight seriously. Probably trying to see if she can beat her at her best."

"COME ON DAAAAD!" Katie was shouting next to them, almost unaware of Levanah's match given how focused she was on her father's. Kristopher was facing off against a man using a slightly customized Jahannam Space Type, though curiously lacking in weapons and instead resorting to pure brawling, at one point even throwing a large boulder at the Wild Titus.

"W-well... can't say I was expecting that." Levanah looked on in a bit of awe, aware of how she couldn't take such an attack without suffering massive amounts of damage. She looked down at her controls, tapping on a button and looking down at one of her options. She hesitated, taking a deep breath. _...no, not yet_. She selected another item, the X-shaped thrusters on the Gundam clamping down and GN Drive firing up, bursting towards her enemy, I-fields up again to block any incoming attacks.

"Still at it, huh? Glad to see! Didn't want my victory to be too easy." Paulina wasn't discouraged, her Gundam readying its Beam Saber. Once about a meter away from her opponent, Levanah switched out her armaments, the two Murasama Busters clamped down on the side armor and exchanging them for the Beam Zanber and flintlock-shaped Buster Gun. The sabers clashed, the stronger-than-average saber from the GX resisting the attempt to dig through it by the Beam Zanber, and the shield section, comprised primarily of the G-Falcon armor, knocked away an attempt to shoot directly into its chest. Both backed off slightly, but Paulina noticed out of the corners of her eyes the two blades of the Murasama Busters coming from either side of her, making frantic attempts to dodge.

"Nice dodge, but don't think for a minute you'll make it out of this unscathed!" the brunette shouted to the younger girl, her Gundam giving a quick spin, scraping some of the armor off the leg of her opponent with one of the Murasama Busters, now noticeably locked onto the claw-shaped skirt armor, a variant on the standard Crossbone's Scissor Anchors. Both pilots emptied their Vulcans at each other, their Gunpla gaining only superficial damage from the assaults as they tried to lock onto each other again.

"H-heh... I have to admit, Crossbone Girl, you're good. Damn good." Paulina said, taking a breather, Levanah doing the same, each trying to read the other, keeping watch for any sudden movements.

"Haa.. hah, flirting will get you nowhere." the older girl chuckled.

"W-wait, wha-?"

"Already have a girlfriend." The thrusters on the Crossbone Excelsa fired up as the two Murasama Busters clamped down together, combining into a single weapon. The Scissor Anchors retracted as Levanah switched out the weapons in her Gunpla's hands for the larger sword, the beams on it activating again, now combining into one gigantic Beam Saber, as tall as its holder. She turned her Gundam to its side, bracing the weapon in both hands, tip pointed at her opponent. As she had done this, Paulina's Gundam was already receiving another transmission from the Satellite System. Each fighter only had seconds to react, Levanah's Crossbone EXCELSA dashing forward, blade ready to stab her opponent, as Paulina's GX-Falcon transforms again into its Mobile Armor mode. Levanah had her Gundam swing with all its might... and Paulina dodged. Instead of flying towards her opponent, she dashed upwards, the giant beam of thrust colliding with the Murasama's Beam Saber. The titanic clash of power erupted in an explosion, throwing the Crossbone back.

"Gyyaaahhh!" Levanah's Gunpla crashed into the scenery, landing with such force that it left a mark on the mountain and broke one of the back thrusters. Warnings flared around her, indicating both the damage and continued danger. She quickly raised her Gunpla's Beam Shield, predicting incoming Beam Machinegun fire from her opponent. Due to the distance she was from her opponent, most of the shots either missed or were tanked by the Beam Shield. _She... she saw that coming..._ Levanah thought to herself, gritting her teeth. _She knew the right moment to dodge, with just enough time for me to get caught in that blast... if I had been half a second too late_... The older girl let out an audible gulp. "Ha... ha ha... well crap."

"Haa... hah... w-what's wrong, Crossbone Girl?" Paulina was panting as well, a wide, dorky grin across her face.

"Y-you're actually a better pilot than I am. You have the reaction times of... I don't know, a Newtype or something." Levanah began to laugh. The Beam Saber of the Murasama deactivated as the Crossbone gripped both sections of the weapon's cross-guard with each hand. _Better make this count_...

"Haah... heh heh, thanks... haa... Crossbone Girl... but this isn't some anime, and I'm no Newtype." the blue-haired girl wiped some sweat from her brow and took a deep breath, aware of what her opponent was going to do. "No, I'm nothing but a girl with her sights set on the World Championships." She transformed her Gunpla into its Mobile Armor mode again, zig-zagging in an attempt to buy time for another Satellite System uplink, taking pot shots whenever she seemed to have a clear shot, Levanah letting the cloak take what damage it could while tanking them with the Beam Shields, using them in short bursts as to not damage her weapon. Both girls became silent, carefully trying to plan their next move.

At the other Gunpla Battle Field, Kristopher had just secured his victory, his Wild Titus with its fist planted in the chest of the enemy Jahannam, a curious golden glow coming from both machines that lasted until the holograms dispersed. The crowd started cheering wildly as he shouted triumphantly. But his attention soon turned to the other battle going on, scratching the back of his head. "Still going at it, huh? Well, looks like they're having fun at least." He then turned his attention up to his niece, and noticed she was remaining still, eyes fixed on Levanah, gently biting her lower lip. Even the "members" of her Gunpla Band remained still, fixed in place as they hovered around her. Kristopher chuckled. "Hah, well well, seems someone is a bit... distracted."

Levanah kept trying to get a lock. She knew this would have only one real chance of succeeding. Just needed the right moment. Paulina kept flying unpredictably, edging closer and closer as she bought time for herself. Finally, the Satellite System was ready, and Paulina transformed her Gunpla back into its Mobile Suit mode. At the sight of the laser link connecting with the GX-Falcon, the older girl prepared to fire, but before she pulled the trigger the enemy Gunpla dashed up. Instead of evading with the same zig-zagging method from before, Paulina was instead moving towards the energy transmission, accelerating and decelerating at random.

"This is it!" The younger girl shouted as she made a sudden stop. The GX-Falcon pointed its thrusters at the Crossbone. Right as they were about to fire, Paulina finally noticed that Levanah changed her tactics at the last minute; a large beam came crashing down on the GX-Falcon from above, following the path of the targeting laser. Unable to dodge, the beam tore the Gunpla in two, a loud, closing explosion signaling the end of the two's intense match.

[BATTLE ENDED]

"L-ladies and gentlemen, Levanah Morgan and..." Haley turned her attention back to her uncle's already-finish match. "...Kristopher Tigre move on to the semi-finals tomorrow! But before we forget, a big round of applause to all four of these fighters for their amazing performance!" The audience cheered, Haley herself clapping as she looked at Levanah with a smile that looked like it was going from ear to ear. The brunette couldn't help but smile in return, blushing a little as she looked up at her. She seemed to be looking for longer than she realized, as Paulina elbowed her in the arm, presenting Levanah's Crossbone EXCELSA to her.

"Well, looks like that commend was more than just talk." the blue-haired girl said with a snicker.

"A-ahah, w-well, I ah..." the older girl stuttered, clumsily taking her Crossbone. "Of course not. I... she... a-anyway, ahem." she coughed and tried to regain composure. "Nice battle."

"Damn nice, but next time around I'll be the one who wins." the younger girl gave a smirk that could easily have come from the character she was mimicking, placing both hands behind her head, Gunpla gripped in one of them. "I already came pretty close this time around, and seemed like you were all out of tricks to pull."

"Not... quite." Levanah gave a sly, cocky smirk. "Still a couple I was saving just in case."

"Oho?" Paulina raised an eyebrow. "Still holding back, even when I could have easily fried you?"

"I'd like to think that it simply wasn't the proper time to use it."

"Hah, of course." Paulina rolled her eyes. "Come on, not like it's a big secret with that GN Drive you have on the back of your Crossbone what you'd be capable of."

"I'll say this: it's something more than just Trans-Am."

"Oho? Well now you have me intrigued, Miss Morgan."

Levanah began walking away, turning her head back as she kept talking to the other girl. "Stick around tomorrow and I bet you'll see it in action." She then glanced up at Kristopher, also walking away from the court. "In fact, something tells me you'll definitely see it."

* * *

The other pair of matches came and went, with the results of the matchups being fairly predictable. One match had a red and pink Great Zeong face off with a Full Burst Psycho Gundam, and while intense it ended with the more heroic-looking Psycho Gundam claiming victory. Jen Mul's Phoenix Gundam Voyager matched up against a modified Unicorn Gundam Phenex, with extra shields added onto the back to give the impression of them being more wing-like. In spite putting up a good fight against her, Jen managed to claim victory once more, her Gunpla dancing circles around the other while sustaining little damage in return.

In spite of her victory, Jen and her cohorts were still somewhat troubled. They did their best to keep others from noticing, but knew they would have to confront their benefactors about a number of things. The three walked off in thought as the crowds were still cheering their names, plotting how to best go about tackling their dilemma.

"I mean, if they didn't take anything that would endanger people's livelihood..." McNeil spoke up, trying to reassure the other two.

"And if they did? There would be a significant amount of trouble once people begin to hear about the incident, enough that it could jeopardize our goals." Russ stated flatly, with it being abundantly apparent even through his calm demeanor that he was not exactly comfortable with how their predicament was playing out.

"The most likely thing they took was data on the Plavsky Particles, that much we can figure out." Jen injected. "But even just that will cause problems... Hrnh..."

"Something else is troubling you, Captain?" Russ inquired.

"We _are_ running out of options, but it... rubs me the wrong way, what the implication here is. They don't fully trust us." she rubbed her chin, frowning. "And would resort to using... more drastic measures, to win."

"We're trying to save the world though, right? Plavsky technology is a breakthrough that will be capable of so much more than these Gunpla Battles." McNeil turned his head, looking at the cheering crowds. "Not to say it isn't a fun little sport. But think of the medical applications alone."

"Are you saying the ends justify the means, then?" the woman almost snapped at him, her voice taking on a serious tone.

"I believe that what he is trying to say, is that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Russ answered for him. "I understand that this is not a light issue, but we have to plan our next move carefully."

"Hm... Yajima's squandering of their potential won't go away with simple talks. I guess we will have to think on our feet once we ask them directly."

* * *

The closing ceremony for the day began. The crowds were still mostly full, with the remaining fighters having taken a place among them. Haley addressed her audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming to this wonderful first day of the American Gunpla Battle Championships! But we're not done just yet, as tomorrow we'll have our semi-finals and then the final round, with the ultimate victor getting an all-expenses paid trip to Japan as an entrant in the 9th Gunpla Battle World Championships! As I close us out, first I'd like to thank you all for coming here and being a wonderful audience!"

She looked around the crowds, finally spying Levanah among her friends. Waiting until she made sure they made eye contact, she winked, and finally began playing the last song of the day, a variation on Gundam SEED Stargazer's "STARGAZER Hoshi no Tabira" with a heavier rock influence, and a strangely more upbeat tone that still managed to work with the song's lyrics.

"Not exactly being subtle with it, are you?" Levanah joked under her breath.

"You say something, kiddo?" her dad asked.

"Heh, nah. Just thinking aloud."

"Oh, right, some good news, Jodi sent me a text a couple minutes ago, she's already on her way home. No new flights for a while, so she'll be able to come with tomorrow." Mike spoke with a bit of a knowing grin as he saw his daughter's face become a mixture of joy and dread. "Don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't embarrass you around Haley. At least, not _too_ much."

"You say that like it's something you can control." the girl commented, causing her father to laugh. She gave a sigh and continued listening to Haley's song, thinking about what tomorrow would bring.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Gundam franchise or any other robot franchise. If I did, Tyrant Sword would have an official kit with a price tag under 20,000 yen.

* * *

**Chapter 12: President's Spirit, Metal Fighter**

* * *

Sunday morning, 10:15 AM. Levanah's family arrived at Madison Square Garden, behind a number of her friends and classmates, who were waiting for them outside. Mike Morgan was wearing a somewhat casual white polo shirt with tan pants, a curious pouch added to his black belt, while his wife Jodi wore a fashionable gold and white sundress. Levanah herself opted for a white shirt and blue, knee-length shorts, still wearing the same hat and earrings, with red and black sneakers. To her surprise, Haley was among the group. She rushed up with a smile and hugged her.

"Didn't think I'd see you until later." the brunette said with a blush, twirling her ponytail with one finger.

"Ah, well, organizers are changing up the arenas but things have hit a bit of a snag. Seems like the matches today won't start until noon." the older girl replied, running her fingers through her blonde and purple streaks of hair.

"Oh..." Levanah gave a somewhat disappointed grunt.

"But the good news is, organizers have repurposed one of the terminals for a 8-player public promotional Battle Field. Though..." she turned back and gave something halfway between a sigh and a laugh. "I don't think the current combatants are... what they thought of when they mentioned it being 'public.'"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, among the players there are Greco Logan and Ricardo Fellini..." Blair answered for her. "Haley's uncle is there too."

"...that seems a bit unusual. I presume he has some spare parts for that Gunpla of his?"

"Lots, actually. Uncle's been pretty well-prepared for the tournament." Haley answered with a bit of pride in her voice. "Well, most of those spare parts were also fairly cheap, too." the pride faded as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Ahh, AGE parts huh? He got them back when the series was still airing, then?" Levanah pondered, remembering her dad relaying certain stories about the Gundam franchise to her.

"Well, I think everyone got at least a Titus or five." Haley laughed. "Say what you will about the show, but those kits have an impressive number of engineering feats put into them. AGE-1 has better articulation than some Real Grades."

"Hah, true enough. Guess we should head in though, shouldn't we?" the younger of the two asked, most of her friends moving along with her as her parents slowly walked towards the entrance behind them. Haley stopped for a moment, looking at her guitar case.

"O-oh! Levanah, um..." she spoke up with a noticeable blush across her face. "I... well..." she kneeled down and opened her guitar case, taking out a black vest. She turned it around and presented it to Levanah, the back having a Skull and Crossbones design, skull centered in the crossbones to give the impression of it being a large, stylized "X." Next to it was an upside-down "7" in such a way that it made it look like a stylized capital letter "L." Levanah instantly recognized the design as the one on her own Crossbone Gundam EXCELSA.

"H-Haley..." she was almost at a loss for words.

"I, ah, made this for you. W-well, knitted the design o-onto it..." she turned away, her cheeks a rosy red color. "Do... do you like it?" Haley shyly asked, her eyes turning back to look at Levanah. To her surprise, the shorter girl ran up and kissed her on the cheek. "Aheh... I'll take that as a yes."

"I didn't know you could sew..." she held the vest in her hands, smiling warmly at it.

"Heh, kinda taught myself a while back. Was mostly useful for fixing up clothes for my brother and I, since grandma's, well, she's not exactly a young woman anymore..." she took a moment to regain her composure, that pleasant, ear-to-ear smile on her face again. "Just wanted to make something special for you, and, well..."

"Hand-made presents already? Are we going to have to start planning some ceremonies?" came a woman's voice, Levanah instantly recognizing the teasing tone as belonging to her mother. Jodi and Mike seemed to have heard the entire conversation, both girls' faces becoming a bright red.

"M-mom!" Levanah blurted out accusingly, aware of but not approving of her mother's teasing tone.

* * *

As the four entered, Levanah now wearing her present, they couldn't help but notice the large crowd gathered around the eight people all using one large Gunpla Battle Field. The most notable of those playing were the aforementioned Greco, Fellini, and Kristopher, along with a few faces that Levanah recognized. One of them, to the surprise of the girl and her two closest friends, was Zack Brendans, having taken Levanah's advice... in a way. A heavily upgraded red and gold Leo IV with shoulder and leg parts of the Heavyarms added to it valiantly engages Fellini's Gunpla, a simple Wing Gundam with customized colors instead of his Fenice Rinascita. To the crowd's surprise, he was managing himself fairly well, but it was readily apparent there was a drastic difference in skill between the two. In spite of this, Zack seemed to be enjoying himself. He knew that there was no chance at beating someone so skilled just yet, but the battle itself was, to put it simply, fun.

At a different part of the Gunpla Battle Field, Kristopher and Greco were facing off against one another. Unlike Fellini, both were at the top of their game, Kristopher's Wild Titus going head-to-head against Greco's Tallgeese Valhalla. Greco's Gunpla seemed to have a clear edge in the battle, outmaneuvering the enemy unit and staying a step or two ahead. In spite of this, however, Kristopher's Gundam would not stay down, even managing to tank a direct hit from the Mega Beam Cannon, to the surprise of the crowd.

"What is that thing even made of?" Greco shouted with a hearty laugh. The Tallgeese slashed down with its Heat Rod, making contact with the opponent but not directly enough to do more than superficial damage to the chest.

"Hahahaa! My Wild Titus has been reinforced time and time again, it'll take more than that to put us down!" Kristopher replied in an excited tone, loving every moment of the battle. His Gunpla's Beam Lariat formed and he lunched at his opponent's Tallgeese, barely missing the more agile target. Both took some distance, trying to gauge what the other was about to do next. Kristopher's mouth formed a smug grin. "Was hoping to save this for my match tonight, but I guess now's as good as ever to do it."

"Save what? You have some kind of trick you've been holding out on me with?" Greco asked, still focused on his opponent. "You shouldn't have been holding back." He took aim with the Mega Beam Cannon.

"Holding back? No, more like saving it for a grand finale! Showtime, Wild Titus!" He tapped on the holographic controls and selected a slot labeled [SP]. "Good luck on stopping THIS! Wild Titus... HYPER MODE!" The Gunpla's colors changed from its green, black, and white to a solid, vibrant yellowish-gold, a subtle glow emanating from its frame as the beam emitters on the arms and shoulders erupted like a roaring inferno. As the Tallgeese finished charging, the Wild Titus took off with blistering speed, fist forward as it closes in on the opponent. Both men gave a heated roar, their Gunpla about to meet, when...

[OVER THE TIME LIMIT]

The Battle Field shut down, holograms disappearing, to the slightly disappointed "aww" of the gathered crowd and some of the Fighters. In spite of the anti-climax, however, Greco and Kristopher walked over to each other and shook hands.

"Thanks, Mister Logan. Finally got that rematch I've been waiting for." Haley's uncle grinned wide.

"Hah, I can see why you've made it so far. A close call, for both of us." Greco turned his attention to their Gunpla. While the Wild Titus was mere millimeters from its opponent, the Tallgeese Valhalla's Mega Beam Cannon was aimed directly at the enemy Gunpla's head, Heat Rod extended and close to the torso area. "Guess I'm not as rusty as I thought."

"That's what I've been telling you, time and time again!" Fellini walked over, giving a friendly jab at Greco's arm. "Don't count yourself out just yet."

"Hah, you've been saying for yourself as much as you've been saying it for me." the taller man retorted in a jokingly accusing way. Fellini smiled in a way that seemed to confirm the accusation. He was then interrupted by Zack, holding his bisected Gunpla and thanking him for the fight, with the two beginning to talking about Gunpla Battle.

"He's improved quite a bit." Levanah commented to her friends with a smile. Belle and Blair nodded, Haley finally recognizing him from little more than a week ago.

"Made leaps and bounds beyond what he was doing back then, if he's able to do that well against one of the world's best Gunpla Fighters." Blair added, adjusting his glasses slightly.

"Seems you've made quite a number of acquaintances, Pirate Girl." another girl's voice commented, turning attention of the group from the Fighters to its source. It belonged to Paulina, dressed in an outfit similar to that she wore the previous day, her lips forming a cocky grin. "Feel up for testing them again?"

"Hah, thanks for the offer, but I don't know if I should really crowd out others." Levanah's eyes looked over to a line of people waiting their turns. "Some people have probably been waiting a while for their turn."

"Not gonna get a sneak preview of that 'beyond Trans-Am' mode you have, huh? Ah well." Paulina placed her hands behind her head, eyes fixed on the friendly conversation between Kristopher and Greco.

"Levvy, where'd your parents go?" Belle questioned, finally making the group realize that both Mike and Jodi weren't with them anymore. Searching around, they finally realized that the two were now at the back of the line of people waiting to play, to the surprise of a number of the people both in line and in the crowds gathered.

"Oh lord..." Levanah placed her face in her palms. "Dad, aren't you a bit rusty?!" She halfway shouted, catching his attention. She also managed to catch the attention of the surprised crowd members, even Paulina seemed to need a moment to register this new information.

"Hasn't been that long since I last played! Besides, might as well get some practice in." He replied with a somewhat smug grin. Fellini, Greco, and Kristopher were almost dumbfounded by how surreal the scene seemed to be.

Jodi let out a soft chuckle. "Can't take you anywhere without causing a scene, can I, 'Mister President?'"

"Dear, please..." he blushed a little as his smug grin turned into an embarrassed smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

"...there are many questions this series of events raises." Paulina finally broke her stunned silence.

"I'm about 90% certain that any of the answers will only raise further questions." the older girl said with a hint of snark in her voice.

"You're just full of surprises, sweetie." Haley injected with a giggle.

After the recently finished group cleared out, Mike and seven other Fighters stepped up to the Gunpla Battle Field. The Gunpla choices varied greatly, from one man in his mid-30s with a Hildolfr, a boy around the age of 13 with a Rig Shokew painted in Titans colors, a young woman with a Devil Gundam, a somewhat mysterious young man wearing a red and black hoodie with a heavily modified Tyrant Sword, also painted red and black and detailed with a black circle on the shoulder armor, a "9" in the center of it, and several others with equally interesting and unusual Gunpla. A couple more familiar faces to Levanah and her friends as well, Tom Davis and Ryo Romano being the most notable, both with their Majin Zeta and Victory Getter gunpla. Mike cracked his knuckles, waiting for the announcements from the machine to begin.

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GP BASE]

"Your dad seems pretty confident." Haley spoke to Levanah, rubbing her chin. "Is he all that good? These folks seem like they know what they're doing."

[BEGINNING PLAVSKY PARTICLE DISPERSAL]

"Hah, well..." the brunette gave a soft chuckle, turning to look at her girlfriend. "Who do you think taught me how to play?"

[FIELD 07: RUINS]

Mike took a deep breath, looking back to his wife. She smiled pleasantly at him, and he smiled back.

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GUNPLA]

He placed down a blue and red Messala, thrusters enlarged significantly with conspicuous sections added to them, with it being readily apparent that they were storage units of some kind. The arms were also modified, now possessing the forearms of the Master Gundam.

[BATTLE START]

"OK! Michael Morgan, Messala Wolf! Let's party!"

Levanah let out a sigh. "Haven't changed a bit, dad..." Her eyes wandered to the crowd, finally noticing a surprised Jen and company. Their expressions made it clear they were aware of Mike's... hobby, but still weren't expecting him to be actually participating in Gunpla Battle. However, they were soon distracted by someone. Levanah walked closer, trying to see who the individual was. A young girl, close to her age and with short, brow hair dressed in a white, black and blue shirt, white and black pants, and a curious burgundy scarf. Levanah knew she recognized the girl, but couldn't quite place where yet. She slowly edged towards them, Belle and Blair noticing the new face as well. Levanah seemed almost lost in thought, staring at the girl. _Where have I seen her befo-_ Then it clicked.

Jen and her cohorts walked off with the girl, still in conversation with her. Belle seemed to make the connection at the same time Levanah did, whispering to her, "Was... was that the girl with that Raito guy, from a week ago?"

"I think so..." she replied, her voice uneasy and with more than a hint of suspicion in it. _Just what is going on?_

Levanah, Belle, and Blair followed them from a distance, carefully eavesdropping on their conversation, making sure they weren't too conspicuous. The girl with Jen's group let out a sigh of relief. "Just got confirmation about ten minutes ago. Marke did it."

"He did it? Wait, but... he's already faced Julian Mackenzie?" McNiel said with surprise. The expression on Jen's face made it clear that her surprise matched his.

"Faced him and beat him." She gave a little nod.

"Well, color me surprised then." Jen looked down contemplatively. "Hrmn... still..."

"Ah, right... you had some... questions?" The girl's voice changed from a pleasant, happy tone to a far more serious one.

"Meri." Jen started, speaking to her almost like a mother about to scold her child for staying out too late. "Nils Neilson approached us last evening..." She started, Meri's eyes widening. "Would you or your brother happen to know anything about that, little Miss Yamato?"

The girl gulped and stayed quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time. She looked to the two men, McNeil avoiding eye contact as Russ stared down at her. Finally she broke hr silence. "Nobody's livelihood was endangered. Things are still by-the-book, just-"

"You know just how much trouble this could get you in. Get _all_ of us in trouble." Jen shook her head. "Did you just not trust us? Think we couldn't handle this on our own?"

"It, it wasn't related to Gunpla Battle!" she protested, clenching her fist. "It was... related to medical advances..." She looked around, trying to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation, but quickly spotted Levanah and her friends. She made clear eye contact with the three of them, then turned to start walking away. "If we have the power to make a difference, we should put it to good use. Yajima squandered its power. You agreed to help make the world a better place, didn't you?" She began walking off, giving one quick look back to the three, though managing to keep an eye on Levanah's group as well. Her next words seemed to be addressed to both Fighters. "Good luck in the final round. We'll all have some tough fights ahead in Japan. Oh, and Jen?" She finally looked away. "Might want to save some explanations for her, too."

Jen's eyes widened as she swiftly turned back, finally realizing that the three kids had been listening to them the entire time. She sighed and attempted to speak, try and salvage whatever impression the talk may have left on them, but decided against it. Instead, she spoke simply, not giving the girl any time to respond before they left. "There's more going on here than you think. If you win the final round, and I may be able to tell you what it all is."

Belle and Blair were slightly bewildered, while Levanah was visibly agitated and worried. Her shoulders slumped as she walked away, unsure of how to take in all the new information she just learned. As they returned, their attitudes quickly changed upon seeing what Mike was up to.

"RRAAAAAAAGH!" he shouted wildly, his Gunpla having picked up the Hildolfr and was now swinging it around, finally throwing the entire thing at the Titans Rig Shokew, Devil Gundam, and Tyrant Sword, destroying the former and noticeably damaging the second Gunpla, though it was readily self-repairing the sustained injuries. The Tyrant Sword, however, managed to escape the Hildolfr, standing on a rooftop and awaiting the next move from Mike's Messala Wolf. The storage units on its boosters opened up, revealing an absurd amount of weaponry stored inside them of many different types. Mike had his Gunpla grab two of them from the holsters, a large Gatling Gun in its left and a Beam Rifle in its right. The Tyrant Sword prepped its own custom Beam Rifle, its pilot deathly silent as he kept trying to analyze his opponent's moves. As the two stared each other down, Tom and Ryo were fighting together against a Gurdolin- Defurse hybrid Gunpla. In contrast, they were far more energetic, working together to try and keep the bizarre creation from gaining the upper hand. These battles were far from over.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Gundam franchise. If I did, Build Fighters Amazing would have gotten some more kits by now.

* * *

**Chapter 13: Troubled Girl, do You Wish to be Stronger?**

* * *

"Majiiiiinnn... FIIIRREEE!" Tom roared as his Majin Zeta's improved chest weapons let out a stream of energy, far greater than the beams it was able to unleash just a week earlier. As the attack flew towards the Gurdolin-Defurse combination as it seemed to put up a barrier, trying to endure the attack. "Ryo, now!"

"Victoryyyyy... TOMAHAWK!" the other fighter shouted, his Gunpla flinging a large axe weapon at the opponent from behind, managing to strike the long legs of the Defruse portion of its body. Caught off-guard by the attack, the machine began toppling over, both of its opponents now rushing over to finish the job.

On another part of the Field, as Mike's Messala Wolf stared down the red and black Tyrant Sword, the Devil Gundam that he damaged earlier looking at the two of them, its pilot muttering to herself, "Like Hell I'm staying in this mess..." Turning her attention to the other two fighters, she grinned maliciously. "_That_, on the other hand, seems more... manageable." Her Gunpla's thrusters flared to life, blitzing towards the three other combatants. Tom and Ryo barely became conscious of the new combatant before two giant fists slammed into their Gunpla, sending them both flying backwards. It came up close to the toppled Gurdolin-Defurse, the top section now ejecting and flying off frantically. The Devil Gundam grabbed the broken pieces of the Defruse section and began restructuring them, transforming its legs into a large Gundam head and jetting tendrils into the ground, a soft glow showing it was absorbing Plavsky particles from the holographic terrain and using it to modify its own body. Its pilot addressed the three, weapons from her Devil Gundam and the Defruse pointed at them all, "You folks have been putting up an interesting fight, but let's see how you handle my Devil Gundam!"

"God Gundam, Devil Gundam, doesn't matter which, my Majin Zeta can take them both on!" Tom roared. "Full power, MAJIN FIIIIIIIRRE!" Another torrent of energy blazed through the chest of Tom's Gunpla, but in retaliation the abducted Defruse's main cannon launched a number of beams directly at the attack, disrupting and weakening it enough that what energy did make contact was tanked by its armor. "Hrgh... time for plan B..."

Back with Mike and his opponent, the red and black Tyrant Sword finally made its move. A flurry of beams came from the Gunpla's rifle, almost taking Mike off-guard, though he quickly adjusted and managed to avoid getting hit, dashing from side to side and returning fire with his Messala Wolf's Gatling Gun. The two strafed and dodged when able, keeping to the cover of the buildings to avoid any unnecessary damage. Mike switched out his Gatling Gun for another Beam Rifle, now going in to rush the enemy Gunpla. Unexpectedly, it was also rushing him, Beam Saber out and ready to strike right into the Messala Wolf's chest, a bombardment of 8 missiles trying to discourage any attempts to dodge.

Mike grinned. At the last possible moment, he slammed his Gunpla's foot into the ground, dodging the Saber and grappling the arm holding it. He flipped over the enemy Gunpla, letting go and dashing forward, hoping to knock it into its own missiles. To his surprise, not only did it manage to recover, but it also taking shots at its own missiles, destroying the ones that presented any danger to it. Mike turned his Messala Wolf around to face it, the two staring each other down. "Not bad, not bad at all. But, mister Nine-ball..." Mike started, taking aim. "This party's just getting started, you're gonna be roast chicken!"

Levanah's face was planted firmly in her palm as an annoyed groan escaped her lips. "Daaaad..."

"I just heard that, right." Paulina asked, trying to make sure what she was seeing wasn't some bizarre hallucination or dream. "This is really happening."

"It is..." the older girl confirmed with a sigh, her friends chuckling a bit, Haley and her uncle almost as dumbfounded as Paulina was.

"I'm serious now. Can you explain this, please? Because I'm having trouble keeping track right now." The younger, blue-haired girl half-demanded, Mike avoiding a building his opponent knocked down with a barrage of missiles.

"Hoooh... well, bit of a story there..." Levanah started, finger twirling through her ponytail. "Happened after we moved out of Washington, I'd started building model kits and playing a bit of Gunpla Battle. I... wasn't very good, at first."

"You were _terrible_ when you started out." a voice added, Levanah instantly recognizing it as Rin's, leading to a grumble escaping her lips. At the fight, Ryo and Tom were slowly trying to wear down their Devil Gundam-using opponent, who while now was noticeably stronger had resigned herself to being a slow-moving target, only able to defend against the incoming barrages.

"Rin, don't start..." the brunette demanded, the redhead giving a teasing, but silent smile. "Anyway, I guess I can sum it up a bit. Dad just sort of... took it upon himself to help me get better. I guess you could say it was a bit of father-daughter bonding, in the end. Helps that he was learning the game himself only a little faster than I was."

"That's... actually rather sweet." Haley commented, trying to hide a sigh escaping her mouth at the end of it. Her uncle patted her on the shoulder, giving a little nod, with her smiling in response.

"For a couple years he was better than I was, always a step or two ahead. Neither of us could really match Rin, but we kept trying to improve." Levanah gave a soft, almost nostalgic smile. "Then one day, I just... I dunno, I got better. I was consistently starting to do better than he was, even at our best." A small bit of pride entered her speech as she continued. "Now, about two-thirds of the time, I'm able to beat my dad in battle."

As if on cue, Mike had backed himself into a wall, his opponent closing in, missile salvo fired and Beam Saber ready to thrust into his Messala Wolf. The Tyrant Sword's pilot let out a simple statement, phrased almost like a command. "Your fate is sealed. Destroy, Nineball."

As the enemy Gunpla closed in, Mike smirked, tapping something on his holographic controls. "Aaaalll right, let's see..." his weapons pods opened up, but instead of reaching to select a new weapon, all of them seemed to take aim at the opponent. "_HOW DO YOU LIKE ME __**NOW**_?!" As Mike shouted, all of his Gunpla's weapons unleashed hell upon his opponent. The torrent of beams, missiles, physical rounds, everything that Mike had flew at the Tyrant Sword and its missiles, the enemy Gunpla desperately trying to maneuver out of harm's way. His efforts proved futile, as the relentless barrage first obliterated the incoming missiles, then began tearing through the Gunpla's body, the armor first tanking what damage it could, but as the volley continued, it proved to be too much. The Tyrant Sword stumbled back as the onslaught finished, Mike directing his Gunpla to move forward. In one final, desperate maneuver, the Tyrant Sword slashed at its opponent, but the opponent had surprised it by jumping upwards. A boosted dropkick came crashing down on its head, finishing off the already weakened Gunpla with a thunderous stomp.

In spite of the defeat, his opponent did not seem to show any emotional change, in a way giving the impression that he was accepting of the loss. He opened a link to Mike, but was oddly silent for a moment. Finally, he gave a simple nod of respect, Mike nodding back before turning his attention to the mayhem going on with Tom and Ryo. Their battle with the Devil Gundam was starting to wear on both parties, the Gurdolin holding off its own stolen Defruse parts while the Majin Zeta and Victory Getter taking turns engaging the main body of the Devil Gundam. In spite of its self-repair abilities, there was obvious damage on the hulking Gundam, while the other two were even more visibly injured, both trying desperately to press on with their attacks.

"Heh, looks like you guys need some help." Mike said, joining the fray.

"Aw crap." the Devil Gundam's pilot muttered under her breath.

"M-Mister P-Pres-?!" Tom started, watching the Messala Wolf land down near him.

"If she kept regenerating her Gundam with the surrounding Plavsky Particles, then she's going to start running out pretty soon. Keep your distance and keep the pressure on her, and then-"

[OVER THE TIME LIMIT]

The holograms began to disappear, to the surprise of the remaining combatants, but not the crowd. The pilot of the Devil Gundam gave a sigh of relief, the others starting to laugh.

"Almost got you, too!" Tom said to her as he collected his Majin Zeta.

"I could have kept things going just fine, if he didn't decide to butt in." she replied with a bit of a chuckle, pointing to Mike, causing him to laugh as well.

"Seems like they were all having fun." Rin commented to Levanah, the older girl giving a nod of agreement. "By the way..." her voice became a whisper as she leaned in closer to the brunette. "I caught a glimpse of what was going on with Miss Mul. Nils and Caroline have been informed that something's up, so keep an eye out."

"Feh, no pressure, right?" Levanah whispered back in almost a grumbling tone.

"Oh please, you're not getting scared, are you?" the redhead teased, already knowing the answer but amused nonetheless by the comic glare on her friend's face. A tap on Levanah's shoulder from Haley alerted her to her father coming back from the match, her mother not far behind.

"So, didn't think I've gotten rusty, did you?" Mike gave a cocky smirk.

"Never doubted you." his daughter replied in an almost dismissive tone. She elbowed Rin in the shoulder. "By the way, Rin here has something she needs to tell you."

"M-me?! You were the-" the redhead started, but was interrupted by Mike.

"Hah, suspected you'd show up here. Something going on, kiddo?"

"I, well, you see-" Rin turned to try and force Levanah to explain it, but spotted her waving to them and walking off with Haley and her friends.

"I'm gonna make sure I'm ready for my match, you can explain things for me, right Rin?"

"Why you-!"

"Thanks, see you later!" she dashed off with an a cheeky grin on her face, Rin waving her arms and shouting semi-incoherently at her friend, amusing the older girl's parents to no end.

"So, what's got you kids all excited?" Mike questioned, still chuckling.

"Well..." Rin's tone shifted, becoming far more serious. "You might not like what I have to say..." Mike raised a curious eyebrow at the statement as Rin continued. "It's about Miss Mul..."

* * *

Noon was approaching as the stadium was filled once again by cheering crowds. Haley was once again on her stage, guitar ready and her Gunpla Band flying in formation. "Hellooooo New York, and helloooo Gunpla Fans across America! Are you all ready for some Gunpla Battle!?" The cheers grew louder. "Alllll right! Let's welcome the Semi-finalists!"

As the four fighters entered, Haley and her Gunpla began to play a somewhat more energetic version of 00 Gundam's first opening, "Daybreak's Bell." Each fighter, Levanah, Kristopher, Jen Mul and her crew, and the pilot of the heroically colored Full Burst Psycho Gundam, one Johnny Ennio, all stepped forward. Each gave the other a respectful nod, then looked at the new Battle Field in the center of the court.

"'_What is that which I should turn to, lighting upon days like these?_'" Jen verbalized in a voice intended to be low enough for only her two comrades to hear, but Levanah seemed to recognize. The girl looked towards her, but said nothing.

"Captain?" Mister Rus asked with concern in his voice.

"Today is going to be complicated." was Jen's only reply. Her face had a deadly serious look on it, struggling and conflicted, but at the same time not trying to waver in her determination. She, along with everyone else, looked up to see a screen forming brackets. the first two were Levanah and Kristopher, the second pair being Jen and Johnny.

Haley's uncle turned to the girl, smiling and giving a thumb's up to her. "Looks like we're up. Time to put on a nice fight, right kiddo? I promise I won't wipe you out TOO badly."

"As if." She gave a little smirk. The half-friendly taunt calmed her a little, easing the tension she'd been feeling since listening to Jen's conversation. Levanah looked to her opponent, adjusting her hat slightly. "My Crossbone Gundam won't lose to you!"

Both gave a chuckle, listening to Haley finish her song. After leaving for a short intermission, Levanah and Kristopher again entered the stadium, appearing on either side of the large Gunpla Battle Terminal. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Gunpla fans of all ages!" the blonde singer addressed the crowds, "It's time to begin the first semi-final match! Levanah Morgan, with the swift, blazing Crossbone Gundam EXCELSA, faces off against Kristopher Tigre and his ferocious, fearsome Wild Titus! Fighters, are you ready?!" Both gave a nod. "Then let's get this show on the road!"

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GP BASE]

Both combatants did so, Levanah looking around at the crowds for a moment, spotting her friends and giving a wave. She smiled, but looked down at the ground, almost lost in thought.

[BEGINNING PLAVSKY PARTICLE DISPERSAL]

"Look, kid, I can tell there's something on your mind." Kristopher spoke to her as the bluish glow of the particles filled the Battle Field.

[FIELD 09: CANYON]

"H-huh?" the girl looked up.

"But now's not the time to let yourself get distracted." he said with a wide grin, the holographic projection of a cloudy canyon coming into view. "Not gonna impress anyone like that, are you?" Kristopher looked over to his niece, sitting down on her stage with eyes focused on the battle.

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GUNPLA]

Levanah blushed a little, but smiled, placing her Gundam down. "Heh, guess you have a point."

"That's the spirit! Now..."

[BATTLE START]

"Kristopher Tigre, Wild Titus! Let's show them our _Wild Roar!_"

"Levanah Morgan, Crossbone Gundam EXCELSA! Burning on!"

The two Gunpla dashed forth onto the field, each becoming aware of the other fairly quickly. Kristopher directed his unit to a mountaintop, Levanah's Crossbone slowing down as it approached, watching to see what her opponent would do. Suddenly the Beam Generators on its arms sprung to life, the Gundam dashing into the air.

_He isn't serious, is he?_ Levanah took aim at with the Twin Murasama Busters firing off a quick volley. Kristopher surprised her by not dodging, or even blocking, but instead _punching_ the beams away, the Beam Generators engulfing the arms up to the fists. The Gundam then accelerated, Levanah firing her Crossbone's Vulcans but doing little damage to the opponent. The Wild Titus threw a strong, fierce punch at its opponent, Levanah attempting to block with the Gundam's blades but as the fist connected, it obliterated the two weapons, the force of the impact sending her flying back. "Gh-grah! Th-that... how...?" Before she could collect her thoughts and properly express surprise, her opponent was already in close range, ready to throw another fearsome punch. Almost instinctively, Levanah dashed out of harm's way, grabbing the Beam Zanber and Buster Gun.

"Hah, is that your best, Miss Morgan?!" Kristopher taunted, grinning like a moron.

"You know it isn't!" she replied, staying a good distance away and firing at the opponent, shots still being punched away. "You're good, but can you keep up?" Levanah used the Crossbone's superior agility and speed to run circles around the bulkier Gunpla, but still not able to score a decent hit.

"Come on, you think I'd limit myself to close combat?" One of the swirling beams deactivated and a grappling hook burst forth, grabbing the Buster Gun and pulling it away. Levanah had her Gunpla slash down at the wire connecting it, freeing her weapon. She tried to grab it, but a howling blast of energy made contact first, destroying the Buster Gun.

"W-what the-?" she turned her attention back to Kristopher's Gunpla, one fist fully extended, a bit of steam coming off of it. "...you're joking. Oh for the love of..." Levanah increased the distance between herself and her opponent.

"Looks like you weren't expecting that, haha!" Kristopher gave chase, though the difference in speed was clearly in his opponent's favor.

"I'm not through yet!" Levanah stopped, storing her remaining weapon and activating the I-Field Generators. The X-shaped thrusters on the back clamped down and the Gundam accelerated with blistering speed. The two kept charging at each other, and finally met with a thunderous crash. Levanah was attempting to grapple the arms of the bulkier opponent, joints creaking from both Gundams as their thrusters pushed harder and harder, the Crossbone's stronger ones giving it the edge.

"Grh, g-guess it's time..." Kristopher selected an item on his holographic controls labeled [SP]. "Wild Titus, let's show her what we can do! SUPER MODE!" A golden glow emanated from the Gunpla, a vastly greater strength coming from it. With a clear upper hand, it pushed the Crossbone off, grabbing and then tossing it like a ragdoll away.

"N-no! Damn it!" Levanah tried to regain control, but her Gundam landed face-first in the dirt. Trying to get back up, the girl caught a glimpse of the enemy Gunpla's Beam Generators charging up, the pinkish color now changing into an almost heroic-looking, vibrant blue.

"Take this! WIIILLD.. RROOOOOOAAAAAR!" The arms thrust forward with a burst of greenish-blue energy, howling through the air in an odd form, almost as if it were the ferocious maw of a tiger. Levanah quickly made her Crossbone grab as much of its cloak as possible to protect it, then activated both the I-Field Generators and Beam Shields, trying to protect as much of its body as possible. The blast made contact with the Crossbone, a titanic explosion engulfing a significant portion of the area.

Haley watched with intensity in her eyes, biting her lower lip a little. "Come on, please..."


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Gundam franchise or anything even resembling other mecha series in this fic. If I did, you could be certain that this wouldn't just be a fanfic.

* * *

**Chapter 14: Burning On!**

* * *

"Levvy!" Belle shouted and jumped up from her sear with such concern that Blair had to pull her down and get her to calm herself, reminding the girl that their friend was in no real danger. She sat back down, almost embarrassed by her outburst.

"H-heh... d-damn..." Levanah's voice quivered, the smoke clearing from the area around her Crossbone EXCELSA. The cloak around it was completely gone, only a small amount of material around the neck remaining, almost looking like a scarf. Thankfully the compounded barriers managed to tank most of the damage, and what did make through them was stopped by the cloak, but it was clear that the same tactic wouldn't work twice. She lowered the Gundam's arms, revealing the chest, with a top section reminiscent of the Crossbone series proper and the bottom taking design notes from the Exia, a large circular segment occupying everything below the Crossbone parts. Curiously, some additional panels were added to it, that looked to be too oddly shaped to be extra armor. She wiped some sweat from her brow. "Barely made it... crap... that was a lot of power."

"And there's more where that came from, kiddo!" Kristopher gave a shout that was somehow both friendly and threatening at the same time. But instead of continuing an assault, he waited, his Wild Titus hovering in midair. "I know there's one trick you have left that you're holding off on using, but the question is, will you be able to hold your own against us before time runs out?"

Levanah smirked. "I'll be honest, I haven't had much practice with what I'm about to do."

_You say anything about "going even further beyond" and I swear Levanah, I __**will**__ punch you in the face after this match is over_. Rin, who had been watching with the girl's other friends, thought silently to herself, a somewhat grumpy frown on her face. _It's dorky enough as-is_.

The brunette girl took in a deep breath, gripping the holographic controls. She tapped buttons on either orb, each labeled [SP]. _I'll have to make sure I finish this quickly, or else I really will be a sitting duck.._. "All right!" she shouted, mostly to psyche herself up.

"Trans-Am..." she immediately pulled her arms up, crossing them.

"_Faaaaace_..." she started, then swiftly pulled both arms down as if to slam something, finally using the labeled items.

"_OPEN!_" The mouth vent on her Crossbone EXCELSA opened as the GN Drive gave a screeching howl, the little chest components pulling down as well. In what seemed like an instant, a reddish glow engulfed the Gunpla, followed by streaks of pink and what seemed to be gold, all together making is seem as if it were engulfed in, or perhaps letting out, furious, roaring flames.

"That's... new." Blair commented, eyes wide, a hand adjusting his glasses slightly to make sure he wasn't seeing things. The audience was shocked, even Fellini seemed to have not been ready for such a display. Rin, Mike, and Haley seemed to be the only ones in the entire stadium not surprised by this new ability. Haley could almost swear she started hearing music, but something unlike the low, almost orchestral tone she had come to associate with the Trans-Am transformation, the track "Fight." It was something new, something different, something almost... cheerfully vibrant, unrepentantly heroic, upbeat and inspiring in tone.

"Hah, it worked!" Levanah shouted with joy, eyes turning to a recently added timer on in her terminal area. _Four minutes and counting? Well, let's see what we can really do, EXCELSA!_ As if in response to her thought, the eyes of her Gunpla gave a quick flash and hum, thrusters firing up and launching it towards the opponent at unprecedented speeds, afterimages forming behind it but with the addition of the blazing aura, they took on a far more haunting and ethereal form. Kristopher's Gunpla raised its arms in an attempt to block, but the Crossbone's vastly increased speed easily allowed it to plant a fist square in the enemy's face. Taken back by the strike, it is unable to block an incoming kick to the side, the dagger from the Crossbone's foot leaving a noticeable gash as the force from it threw the Wild Titus screeching into the ground.

"I... g-gah, wow, that was more than I was expecting. Damn, kid, what did you do to that thing?" Kristopher asked with a laugh, getting his Gunpla up.

"Oh, you know, non-stop push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and a few kilometers of running every single day." the girl replied with a smug grin, launching her Gundam down to the opponent, the blazing aura surrounding it flaring. "And _plenty of juice!_" It threw a punch, but the Wild Titus managed to block the attack, countering with a right hook to the Crossbone's chest. While damaged, it was noticeably less than what Kristopher expected, both Gundams jumping back and taking to the air, flying around in a way that made it seem like the two were almost jousting in the skies. Strike after strike, blow after blow, neither one gave any indication of slowing down. The sheer force of the strikes were clearly leaving damage on the combatants' Gunpla, and after a minute of continued onslaught a strong punch to the Crossbone's chest sent it falling. Levanah managed to slow it down quickly enough that the landing doesn't damage her Crossbone, swiftly turning it around, looking upwards.

"You're good kid, and your Gunpla is damn strong, but it seems you're close to your limit." The arms of the Wild Titus began charging again, ready for another Wild Roar. "I'll show you that I'm the strongest Gunpla Fighter here!"

"Strength means nothing..." Levanah started, the I-Fields in the palms of her Crossbone activating as the aura around her Gundam blazed, a small, bright sphere forming between the hands. "If you can't bring it all out!" The sphere started to grow, becoming vibrant, the aura around her Gunpla now feeding into it as the timer's countdown increased in speed frantically. "Let's finish this, EXCELSA!" The Crossbone pulled its arms back and started focusing the energy feeding into the glowing sphere. "G.. _N_... _**BLAAAAAZER**__!_"

"_WILD_... _**ROOOOAAAAAAAR**_!"

The two projectiles, the tiger-shaped one from above and the vibrant white sphere from below, flew towards one another. As they made contact, the Wild Roar seemed to engulf the smaller blast... but soon found itself breaking apart. The smaller sphere flew through the larger blast, speeding towards Kristopher's Gunpla. A split-second attempt to stop it by blocking achieved nothing more than the arms being destroyed, warnings flaring around him. As he tried to regain some semblance of composure to the damaged Gundam, he noticed the Crossbone charging at him.

"_Dagger... INAZUMA... __**KIIIIIIIIIICK**__!_" the girl let out a powerful yell as the Crossbone kicked the opponent in the chest. The sheer force of the unblocked strike cleaved the Wild Titus in two, the separate halves falling to for a moment, the EXCELSA landing on the ground. "Close Face!" The panels and faceplate shut hard, the aura leaving the Crossbone as the timer displayed that there were 7 seconds left. The Wild Titus's explosion was followed by a clear declaration:

[BATTLE ENDED]

"Th-the... the winner is, Levanah Morgan!" Haley shouted frantically, finally aware that she'd been gawking silently for almost half a minute after the battle was. The crowd stayed silent for another half a minute, then erupted into applause and cheering. The brunette girl adjusted her hat and wiped some sweat from her brow, Kristopher coming over to congratulate her.

"Almost had you, Miss Morgan." he says with a cheerful smile as he shakes hands with her.

"You did, actually. Damn that was close..." she shyly admits. "If you lasted about seven seconds more, I'd have been a sitting duck."

"Hah, guess I should have dodged instead of trying to block, then." Kristopher rubbed the back of his head. "Aw well, good luck for the finals. I'll be rooting for you!"

"Thanks." The two nodded, collecting their Gunpla and walking out. "Hmm..." the brunette girl looked over the damage; minor on the machine itself, and the cloak could be easily replaced. _Glad I made a couple spares for the Murasamas... this could have ended up a lot worse than it did, I can't waste any time fooling around... hrmn_. While eager to get straight to repairs, she turned and looked back, still walking forward. The next match would decide who her opponent in the finals would be, and while she might have hoped for a surprise, she severely doubted that one would occur. The girl gave a small, quiet sigh.

"Something's eating you. History with that lady clouding your mind?" the man asked, looking back as well. "Or is there something else up?"

Levanah shook her head. "No, just... guess there's no easy way to explain it." She looked down at her Gunpla, trying to clear her mind, to no avail. "Kind of worrying that there's more at stake here, if I lose."

"'More at stake' huh?" he repeated, rubbing his chin. "What, is she going to suddenly start raising Devil Gundam heads out of all the Battle Terminals in New York?"

"Har har." she feigned a bit of disapproval at the comment, but was clearly trying to hold back a legitimate chuckle. "I just... I know there's something bigger happening in this. That hacker incident at the Yajima offices..." her voice became quieter as she recollected what happened there.

"I see..." Kristopher decided to stay quiet, turning back again, this time to look towards his niece, currently playing "Silent Voice" with her Gunpla Band as an intermission. He made a quick glance between her and the girl walking next to him.

"Maybe... heh, actually, it's just... selfish." Levanah started, but didn't finish, instead looking at her Gunpla again.

"Ah, whatever it is you'll be able to handle it, won't you? I mean, at the very least you've demonstrated that you're one of the best Gunpla Fighters in the whole US by now, what do you really have to worry about?"

"It's easy to just say that..." the brunette girl said in a quiet tone approaching a mumble, her free hand reaching up and twirling a finger in her ponytail.

* * *

"Damn it, come on, come on!" Johnny Ennio frantically shouted, his Psycho Gundam dashing away from a number of Funnels trailing it, taking shots at the large frame. Moving behind an asteroid, it sent out its own, Haro-shaped Bits to engage the pursuing Funnels. The man gave a sigh of relief, only for a warning sign to flash up.

"Is this the best you can do?" Jen addressed him dismissively. The Phoenix Gundam Voyager floated down in front of its opponent, arms crossed. The Full Burst Psycho Gundam took aim at it with its shoulder-mounted Burstliner cannon, firing. While a direct hit, the barrier surrounding the Gunpla made the effort useless. "I should have expected such..." It fired again and again, desperately trying to damage the opponent.

"Captain..." Mr. Rus turned to her, noticing the power on the shields steadily decreasing from the continued barrage.

"Hmnh. This is pathetic." Jen fired up her Gunpla's thrusters, avoiding one final, frantic shot from the opponent and slicing off the Burstliner with the Gundam's Beam Saber. One of the Beam Cannons pointed down at the enemy's mug began charging. "To think, this is the cream of the crop? I'm disap-"

"I yield." the man stated, tapping on the controls to surrender.

[BATTLE ENDED]

Jen looked at her opponent with an almost stunned reaction. Johnny let out a quiet sigh of defeat. "There's no point in continuing this." He walked over, offering a handshake. The three obliged him after a moment's hesitation, Jen trying to force a respectful smile. the man walked over to collect his still intact Psycho Gundam, Mr. Rus gathering the Phoenix Gundam Voyager. "Good luck with the final round."

"This semi-final match goes to Jen Mul and Team Voyager! Everyone give them a big round of applause!" Haley shouted, the crowds obliging her enthusiastically.

"Guess that's it." Jen looked around, taking in all the cheering people in the area, realizing how many more there were out there watching across the country, and beyond. A mixed sense of pride and disappointment, in her accomplishments and in her battles, filled her head. Her comrades turned to her, showing similarly mixed emotions.

"Captain...?"

"We defeat her and we're through. We can... put our doubts behind us." she gave as a reply, walking off. _If she fails to defeat me, this is on her. Let's hope you have what it takes, Levanah Morgan_. Thinking deeper, she verbalized one short, quick thought before leaving the area entirely, "_'When can our glory fade? Oh, what wild charge we've made...'_"

"All righty, ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the semi-finals! We will have a short break, and at-" Haley stopped for a moment, a voice coming into her earpiece. "-ah, we will begin the final match at 1:30. The Battle Terminal will be undergoing special maintenance until then, so hope you all stick around today for the final match! This will be the match to determine the American Champion, who will go on to fight in the World Championship!" She finished her message off by starting up another song. Feeling a bit inspired, she went for a less commonly expected Gundam song, but something certainly appropriate for the tournament, G Gundam's "Sentou Danji - Kitae Yo Katsu Tame Ni."

Her Extreme Gundam's eyes flashed as it led the others around in formation, the Dom Drummer not far behind, Maxter on Keyboard with its back to the Dom, the two spiraling around each other, and the Descem Bassist following up the group from behind. As Haley continued playing her own guitar, the Dom Drummer and Keyboard Maxter crossed around her, finally stopping about half a meter away on either side, the Extreme Gundam and Descem Bassist flying up above her. As they continued to play, subtle glows emanated from the Gunpla, flickering in intensity with the music, as if the sound waves themselves were becoming visible around them, resonating into different patterns. Finally the Gunpla stopped their flights, the glows becoming radiant as the song came closer and closer to finishing, letting out a vibrant burst right as the song ended. Haley gave a bow as the crowds cheered and applauded, her Gunpla slowly landing down on the stage.

"Thank you all, and enjoy some of the refreshments set up in the area! Once again, final match will be at 1:30! Don't miss it!" Haley collected her Gunpla and cheerfully skipped off the stage, setting them and her guitar all in place in the case. As the crowds began clearing out, her uncle approached her.

"Well well, seems you're a step closer to becoming an Idol or something, aren't you?" he asked in an intentionally condescending and irritating manner.

"As if." she replied by sticking her tongue out, not taking any of his teasing no matter how obviously in jest they were.

"You sure? I bet Katie would just love to help you find lots of cute costumes for you to wear~"

Haley glared at him with enough intensity to set fire to his face if she could. "What do you want, uncle?"

He walked closer, his joking tone fading. "Noticed your girlfriend seemed just a bit troubled after our match. Maybe y-" Before he could even finish, Haley bolted from the stage to try and find her, passing Katie as she came walking towards her father. The puzzled expression on the little girl's face faded as she saw Kristopher's knowing smile.

"What did you do?" she demanded, an eyebrow raised.

"Why whatever do you mean, sweetie?"

"Last time she ran off like that you 'implied' there was a snake in the house." she told him accusingly, eyes squinting.

"It looked like a snake." he backed up, trying not to laugh.

"It was a garden hose!" Katie declared, recalling the incident all too well. The screaming, the shouting, the kitchen utensils. She shook her head at the memories surfacing. "Daaaaaad..."

"I just pushed her in the direction she needed to go." Kristopher answered with a cheeky grin.

"You're going to give her a heart attack one of these days..." the girl sighed, grabbing her father by the arm and pulling him with her.

Beyond earshot of the conversation of her relatives, Haley was still running, dashing to find Levanah, skillfully avoiding crashing into other people walking by. Going to the waiting room, she searched the tables set up for the Gunpla Fighters' use, finally finding Levanah on her own using one. Her sudden stop almost made the brunette girl leap out of her chair with surprise, Haley attempting to speak but quickly realizing that she was out of breath.

"Y-you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost..." Levanah asked, setting down her recently repaired Crossbone EXCELSA.

"Ha... ha... I... I just... hooh... haah..." she took a minute to catch her breath, Levanah standing up. "I.. um, is everything ok?"

The younger girl sank back down in her seat, leaning back, hands behind her neck. "Your uncle mentioned something, huh?"

Haley nodded, taking a seat beside her. "Sounded like there was something wrong..."

Levanah sighed, trying to think of the proper way to explain. "...I guess what's worrying me is, well, this feeling like I sort of 'have' to win the next match. Like there's something more to it all than just the title, than just... I dunno."

"I think you do know." Haley leaned forward, placing a hand on the other girl's knee. "You're just not really sure how to say it, right?" Levanah stayed quiet, staring down at her Gunpla. Haley tilted her head, asking, "No? Ahh, I see now... you're a bit ashamed to say it, aren't you?"

"Ah, I-!" Levanah started, but cut herself off, her cheeks pinker than before. A slow nod confirms the blonde girl's suspicions.

"Levanah..." Haley scooted closer, her other hand on the younger girl's shoulder.

"It's... selfish. But, I just want to enjoy this, not have to worry about something bigger at stake. Miss Mul might be connected to the folks who were behind that incident at the Yajima offices, and..." the brunette sighed, twirling a finger in her ponytail.

"You're putting too much of this on yourself." the blonde girl told her plainly, eyes focused and serious. "Sweetie, worrying like this, it really isn't something you need to do. You're sounding like you think you're responsible for this." She gave a comforting smile, kissing her girlfriend on the cheek. "Even if there is something bigger going on behind the scenes of this event, does it really change the fact that you're here for the tournament, first and foremost?"

"But what if I lose, and then-"

"No, none of that." Haley spun the other girl's chair to face her. "Repeat after me: everything's gonna be all right."

"Haley..."

"Do it."

"'Everything's gonna be all right.'" she shyly repeated.

"_Hitori ja nai!_" Haley stood up and shouted, pumping her fist into the air.

"W-what?"

"Saaaaay iiiiiit~"

Levanah gave a small chuckle, then mimicked Haley's actions, shouting clearly, "_'Hitori ja nai!'_" Both stood there for a moment before laughing at how ridiculously serious they looked. "Th-thanks..."

"Any time, darling~" Haley wrapped her arms around Levanah's waist and gave a soft kiss. A cough coming from the doorway alerted the two to the presence of onlookers. Rin, Nils, and Caroline were all standing in the doorway, Caroline trying to cover her face, her cheeks red.

"H-how long have you been there?!" Levanah demanded as the two girls abruptly ended their embrace.

"Long enough to at least know what we have to say is some good news for you, come on." Rin said, nodding her head for the two to follow, Caroline trying to exit the doorway with her face still covered, Nils helping her avoid walking into a wall.

"Well, guess that's something. Shall we?" Haley stretched out her hand, Levanah nodding and taking it, both girls walking together with the three. As they walked, none were aware of someone else following them, keeping her distance but obviously intent on seeing what they were about to discuss.

_What tricks do you have planned, Nils Neilson_?


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I still definitely do not own the rights to the Gundam franchise, nor do I own the rights to anything like it. If I did, a certain crossover manga between Gundam and another franchise would have been something a little... more.

* * *

**Chapter 15: There's No Such Thing as Limits**

* * *

"Well, now that we're all here, we can-" Nils Neilson started, but halted his explanation upon hearing giggling from those around him. "...Caroline, please take your hands away from your face."

"Nuh-uh."

"Caroline, _please_." Nils asked again, his own face now resting in one of his hands. The girl slowly obliged, her face still an embarrassed shade of pinkish red. Levanah and Haley couldn't help but be amused by her reaction, Rin pretending that she was not among the giggling group of folks. Kristopher, Katie, Fellini, Greco, the "disguised" Kirara, Mike and his wife, all sat with the younger group, listening intently at a table in a private room.

"So, Samurai Boy, you were saying? It's something to do with that incident from last week?" Fellini piped up.

"Indeed." he nodded. "Right now, we have some technicians working on the Battle Terminal. If there is a link between the incident and the tournament, we have to be prepared. We still do not know how that group did what they did, but I am certain they had help."

"Help?" Haley and Levanah questioned simultaneously.

"There was some sort of backdoor into the Terminal that allowed them to pull that trick. At the same time, a large amount of data was being accessed and copied. This leads me to believe it wasn't a one-party job. So, we've decided to formulate a plan."

"It's something of a precaution, really." Caroline spoke up, her face returning to a more normal expression. "Based on the reaction by Jen Mul when we spoke with her last night, we doubt she will attempt anything herself, but she may be related to the group involved in the incident." The statement made Levanah look away with a bit of discomfort, something Caroline noticed but chose not to say anything about. "If they try something again, we can respond immediately."

Levanah bit her lower lip slightly. "Do you really think they'll try to interfere with our match?"

"It's a possibility, but a more likely scenario would be if they come in at the end, when you're weakened." Nils answered, the girl less than reassured by it.

"That's when I step in and save your ass." Rin adds with an expected degree of smugness.

"...so I'm the bait for this trap you're all setting, am I understanding this right?" the brunette girl asked in a mixed tone of worry and annoyance, choosing to avoid responding to Rin's teasing.

"Not... exactly?" Nils tried to sound convincing. The girl's expression, now noticeably more annoyed, made it clear that it didn't work. "Look, the best we can do is deal with it when it happens." he started, then looked around to address the Gunpla Fighters around him. "That's why I've gathered the rest of you here. I don't want to start a panic that might be avoidable, but we need to be prepared."

"So, you've gathered her family members here, since I'd guess they would want to know about this." Greco looked to Mike and Jodi, both nodding. "And some of the better Gunpla Fighters present." He then looked to his friends, Kristopher, and Rin. "Are you two sure this is enough people? What about some of the other Gunpla Fighters around?"

"We don't want to cause too much of a problem, and this number is more or less manageable. Grabbing more people and dragging them into this is going to cause problems. That said, I did make a special call yesterday..." As if on cue, the door started to open, Nils' face producing a smile. The whole group's eyes went wide, save the boy and Caroline. As the person stepped in, Haley could swear she heard a flamenco guitar start to play.

"Hoh, seems my reputation precedes me even here. I believe you all know who I am." said a young man who was definitely not Yuuki Tatsuya. This person most certainly was not the former council president of Seiho Academy High School and was never the captain of the model-building club there. This young man was the person who inherited the title of Meijin Kawaguchi, and that is how people addressed him as a Gunpla Battler. Most of them, anyway.

Unknown to the group, a girl had been listening to the conversation as well as she could, dashing out of sight when she noticed the newcomer walking down the hallway like he owned the place, thankfully not grabbing his attention. As he entered the room with the others, she went back to her eavesdropping. _Damn, if he's here, then..._

"I haven't arrived too late to this meeting, have I?" the Meijin asked the group. All gave a shake of the head for a reply, Nils offering him a seat. Fellini and Kirara looked at him with an almost nostalgic expression, Nils and Caroline doing much the same.

"Your timing is scary." Nils complimented, Meijin taking a seat next to Kristopher. Mike and Jodi were amused, but lacked much reaction beyond it, a stark contrast to Haley's uncle, who seemed as if he were about to jump out of his seat to find something for the young man to autograph, her cousin feeling embarrassed for the man. The Meijin scanned over the other unfamiliar faces to him, Haley and Levanah giving respectful smiles, while Rin stared at him like a treasure hunter finally stumbling upon a lost city of gold.

"As we were saying..." Caroline started, then nodded at Nils.

"We have made changes to the main Battle Terminal, to track for outside interference. It'll be a bit... general, though. We can't exactly trace them to their source, but we will be able to find out if someone is attempting something. It's... better than nothing, at this point. Technically speaking, the sheer transmitting power involved in even attempting something like this, the amount of information you'd need to relay in real time, it shouldn't be possible. Only thing I can guess on is that they know something about the Plavsky Particles that we've not even come close to figuring out..."

"Nils." the boy's girlfriend gave as an irritated grunt.

"R-right, sorry." Nils nervously scratched the back of his head. "Anyway, we've come up with a method of dealing with this."

"And that's where we come in." Rin finally spoke up, grinning smugly once more. "A number of smaller terminals throughout the area have been linked to the main one, where we can break through the interference the... more, ah, 'old-fashioned' way."

"Well, certainly won't be boring for the audience." Haley mused aloud. "What do you think, Levanah?"

"This... actually makes a lot of sense." she responded, leaning back. "I guess I'd been worrying over nothing..." she mumbled, a bit relieved. At the same time, something stirring inside her made her want to participate in this hypothetical showdown, even if the chances were ever so slim after the battle ahead. A bit of selfish pride crept into the smile on her face.

"Then, it's clear to everyone, correct?" Nils asked, looking at the gathered people. Nods from all around assured him that they understood, to varying degrees. "Then now we just have to set the positions. So, Meijin, Rin, I think I know where you two will want to be, so I've set up these locations..."

Outside, the eavesdropper finally backed away, walking off, almost running into other people as she was lost in thought. _So, there's no way Jen will forgive us for interfering directly, and we'd be walking right into their hands if-_ A sudden hum from her phone broke her focus. Quickly checking it, her eyes widened.

[We've finished it, sis. Gigantis is ready to be invoked.]

Meri stared silently at her phone for a solid minute, quiet, expressionless. Slowly, she began to grin. _If that's what they want, then let's give them a show they won't soon forget. Even __**he**__ will have to respect that level of strength, that level of building skill_.

[I'll keep myself quiet while you all do your magic. Do you have the tickets?]

[We'll be leaving for Japan tomorrow. Shame you can't get involved yourself, we could use the help.]

[Don't lie like that, brother. You'd get angry that I'd steal the spotlight. :P ]

[I'm going to hit you when you get home.]

[Love you too, brobro.]

[Changed my mind. I'm going to break your Strike Freedom.]

[You wouldn't dare brobro. D: ]

[Call me "brobro" again and Mr. Strike Freedom meets Mr. Sledgehammer.]

[You keep Mr. Sledgehammer away from my Gunpla!]

[He gets very lonely sometimes, sis.]

[Meanie butt.]

[I'll see you later. Maybe Mr. Strike Freedom will still be around. Maybe.]

[Meanie butt!]

She continued walking, her brother finally deciding to give the conversation a rest. An aura filled with a smug sense of satisfaction around her, deciding against bringing anything up with Jen and Team Voyager in regards to what she just witnessed, feeling that they had enough to worry about. Perhaps give them some words of encouragement. Better to sit back and watch the fireworks.

* * *

In a restaurant with a somewhat classy, somewhat homely atmosphere, Jen, Russ, and McNeil all sat together.

"This better be good." the woman grumbled, not even looking at Meri as she approached the table, instead focusing attention on the menu.

"Look, about earlier..." she started apologetically, taking a seat opposite Jen and McNeil. "...I'm sorry."

"...sorry, huh." Jen slowly pulled down her menu to look at the girl. "You know what you did, Miss Yamato."

"Look, I know the issues that we've... run into. But we've been able to come to an agreement." Meri started, a waiter coming over to ask if she wanted anything to drink. "Just water, please. After your match, we'll be explaining things more clearly. I'm sure Nils will find what we have to say... interesting."

"I can imagine." the woman said less defensively, leaning back in her seat. "Mind letting us in on this?"

"It's simple, really. Win or lose, we'll make an attempt to see how forward the folks at Yajima are with cooperating."

"Hm. Sounds reasonable enough." McNeil piped up, rubbing his chin.

"I've got a few more things we can discuss over lunch. If you don't mind, that is." Meri asked politely, the four of them talking amongst themselves. For the trio, it certainly helped them all clear their minds. Jen especially seemed to enjoy the less confrontational chat with the young girl. Perhaps things could work out for them after all. Eventually they finished up their conversation, and Jen, Russ, and McNeil all headed the stadium together, seeing Meri off. To say they seemed confident as they entered would be understating it. The three walked down to the Battle Field liked they owned the place. Upon seeing Levanah waiting for them at the other end, Jen grinned.

Adjusting her cap, Levanah grinned back. A renewed look of focus in her eyes, a sense of anticipation, she was focused on the here and now.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for your patience! Now, it's time for the final match of the American Gunpla Battle Championships!" Haley addressed the crowd, cheers erupting from it. A strum of her guitar activated her Gunpla, taking formation around her. "Levanah Morgan and Jen Mul are the only remaining competitors! This battle will decide who ends up with a free pass to Japan and the World Gunpla Battle Championship!"

"As if we needed reminding." McNeil said quietly to Jen, nudging her arm with his elbow.

"The crowd is certainly appreciating it." she replied, eyes now focused on her opponent. "Well well, little Levanah, looks like it's finally come down to this."

"Don't think this'll be another curb-stomp, Jen Mul." the younger girl replied, cocky smirk on her face.

"Yes yes, quite an impressive trick you pulled there. But..." Jen gave a shrug and shook her head. "You must realize how desperate you'd need to be to actually use it."

"I have my plans." Levanah rubbed under her nose.

"Looks like these two are all ready to go! Let's get this party on the road!" Haley finally spoke up again, smiling down at Levanah as she began to play another song, opting for another G Gundam song, Saiyou no Shou. With her Gunpla flying in formation, the announcements for Jen and Levanah began.

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GP BASE]

In the stands, Meri sat by herself, phone out but carefully concealed. She sent a text discretely, the majority of her screen apparently recording the two Gunpla Fighters.

[BEGINNING PLAVSKY PARTICLE DISPERSAL]

In a locked room with clear view of the event, Nils and Caroline watched silently, a number of monitors displaying various graphs and programs. In another, similar room, Mike and Kristopher talked about their respective families, Katie making sarcastic remarks about her father. In yet another room, Fellini and Greco reminisced over the good old days while Kirara listened, chuckling occasionally on how the way they talked made them seem both decades older and somehow decades younger than they were. In a final room, Rin and the Meijin waited, watching intently, silence broken only when the match's startup began.

"Your friend seems rather confident." the young man commented, arms crossed and almost comically stoic expression.

"She's still not as good as Nils or me. Yet. But I don't think it's confidence that's filling her mind right now." the girl gave as a reply, crossing her arms as well but keeping a far more friendly look on her face.

"Hoh? Is that so?"

"She's excited. Nothing to bother her during the match. Heh, she still hasn't grown up all that much, I guess."

[FIELD 08: SKY]

The Battle Field became a groundless arena filled with several large, floating islands.

"I'm glad you didn't back out of this, given how everyone else has fared. Didn't want my victory here to be hollow."

"Are you kidding? How _could_ I back out of this?"

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GUNPLA]

Levanah's Crossbone Gundam EXCELSA and Jen's Phoenix Gundam Voyager both stood at their starting positions as the two combatants gripped the holographic controls.

"Besides, we're both here to have a little bit of fun, aren't we?" Levanah remarked, grinning wide.

"Fun, huh? Little Levanah, I do hope you're going to take this seriously."

[BATTLE START]

"Levanah Morgan, Crossbone Gundam EXCELSA! Burning on!"

"Captain Jen Mul, Phoenix Gundam Voyager. Engage!"

The roaring engines of both combatants' Gunpla blasted them onto the Battle Field. Levanah landed her Crossbone on the closest of the floating islands, keeping watch over the surrounding area, waiting to draw her opponent out. A warning signal told her she didn't have to wait long as a massive buildup of energy came from a somewhat far-off distance. Checking, she saw that it appeared from behind one of floating islands... and suddenly the massive buildup of energy punched _through_ the island, screeching towards Levanah's Gundam. Quickly dashing out of harm's way and activating her Gundam's I-Fields as an extra precaution, the titanic beam barely missed, evaporating much of the smaller island the Crossbone was standing on. Levanah made a nervous gulp as she looked at the path of destruction the beam left, then turned her attention to the slowly approaching Phoenix Gundam Voyager.

"I must say, you really should have seen that coming a bit more clearly." Jen gave as a half-hearted taunt.

"Give me some credit, not every day your opponent starts a match by blowing up a quarter of the scenery!" the girl chuckled, darting her Crossbone forward. Incoming Funnels surrounded her, but instead of attempting to dodge them, she activated her Gundam's Beam Shields, thrusters clamping down as it crashed into each funnel one by one, the shields blocking the attempted shots and easily destroying them.

"How long do you think you can keep that up?" the woman asked as she signaled her Gundam to unleash all its Funnels at its opponent, firing off shots with its beam rifles at the Crossbone. Levanah switched up tactics, instead only activating the shields to block incoming beams or charge-slam Funnels, trying to conserve as much energy as possible. What beams she didn't dodge and what her shields didn't tank, the Crossbone's cloak managed to shrug off long enough for her to finish off the remaining Funnels.

"Phased Beam Cannon ready, Captain. Fire when ready." Mr. Russ stated to Jen, tone still stoic and professional, but giving a hint of enjoyment of the match.

"Not yet. Wait until we have her right where we want her..." she smirked, having her Phoenix Gundam go for close-range attacks, slashing, dodging, and slashing again with its Beam Sabers. Levanah could barely keep up with the speed and ferocity of her opponent's attacks, her Crossbone's Twin Murasama Busters almost being knocked out of its hands more than once. Levanah desperately dashed her Gundam far away from its opponent, taking shots at it, the Phoenix Gundam not even pretending to dodge as its shields tanked the incoming beams.

"Well this is off to a good start..." the girl grit her teeth, combining her weapons and waiting until she was behind one of the floating islands. As Jen's Gunpla pursued, Levanah quickly had her Crossbone dash up and slash at her opponent with the combined Murasama blade. It slammed into the Phoenix Gundam's shield, the crackling energy of it clashing with the barrier lighting up both Gunpla.

"Come now, what good did you think-" before Jen could finish her taunt, another weapon slammed down on the shields, the Crossbone's Beam Zanber, held by the hip-mounted grapplers. The barrier's form became visibly distorted as the blades pushed into it.

"Shields failing!" McNeil shouted in a panic, eyes towards his captain.

"I noticed!" Jen forced her Gundam back with as much force as she could muster with it, Levanah in pursuit and slashing with the oversized Beam Saber and Beam Zanber, each swing striking the shield ever so slightly. "So that's your plan, huh?"

"Nah, I'm making this up as I go!" Levanah lied blatantly, keeping up her assault. She kept forcing her opponent back, keeping track of the scenery in the corner of her eye.

"Not a bad plan, except for one part." Jen had her Gundam match the Crossbone's movements while still dodging backwards. The cannons on her Gunpla all locked onto the Crossbone. "You're not going to dodge this very well. Phased Beam Cannon, FIRE!"


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not have nor claim to have ownership of the Gundam franchise or any other franchise even remotely like it. If I did, you can bet there'd be some sort of Mobile Suit Vs. Giant God of Legend: Gigantis' Counterattack OVA done by now.

* * *

**Chapter 16: Let's Fly Through the Sky Once Again!**

* * *

The ferocious beams of the Phoenix Gundam's main weapon engulfed the Crossbone, the audience letting out a collective gasp. As the beam's path of destruction cleared, Jen at first smirked, then frowned upon seeing the absence of any wreckage. A warning flashed alerting her to something approaching from behind.

"-AZUMA KIIIIIICK!" Levanah's Gundam came screeching down, cloak singed to the point of being less than a scarf around its neck, Heat Dagger protruding from the foot of the Gunpla. With a fraction of a second left to react, Jen countered by having her own Gundam blitz out of the way. "NO, NOT YET!" the girl shouted as her Gunpla too aim with the Zanbuster, the grappled Twin Murasamas on the hips taking aim as well, unleashing a torrent of beams at its opponent.

"Clever, clever..." the woman praised as her Gundam's barrier held off the barrage, continuing to move backwards. "Afterimage with mass, or did you actually manage to teleport out of the way?"

"I am not gonna be using the GN Drive's full abilities just yet!" she replied with a cocky smirk, dashing forward and switching back to attacking with the Murasamas' blades, Vulcans hammering into the shield when possible. "Might need them later! This is just pure speed!"

"Quite the high performance, Little Levanah." Jen replied as her Gundam pulled out its own saber and clashed with her opponent's weapons. "You're just full of surprises, I might have to end this sooner than I thought..."

"Worried I might beat you?" the girl asked as she quickly wiped away some nervous sweat from her brow, not letting up on the assault from the Vulcans and continuing to slash with her Gundam's blades.

"Hah, hardly." Jen attempted to push her opponent back and gain some distance for her shields to recover, taking aim with her Gundam's combined Beam Rifles and letting out a terrifying amount of power. Her opponent had but seconds to raise her Beam Shields, deflecting most of the blast right in the nick of time. "But it's best if I don't make any... unnecessary risks."

In the seats of the stadium, Levanah's friends continued to cheer her on. Blair studiously tracked the movements of the two Gunpla Fighters, curious about his friend's plan. _You keep trying to move her away from the center of the field... there must be some sort of objective here..._

On the other side of the stadium, Meri slowly sipped from her soda, leaning back in her seat as her carefully concealed phone streamed the match. _Jen's not actually toying with her opponent, for once. She has other weapons at her disposal, but I think I know why she's holding off on them... call me impressed, Raito's losses really weren't just flukes. Shame we've kinda gotten off on the wrong foot with her. Aw well, let's see how Jen handles this_. The girl's thoughts were interrupted by a humming from her phone, a text appearing next to the video.

[How much longer are you going to make us wait? Your brother's already pacing around his seat.]

[Give it time, sweetie. Can't rush things right now.]

_Poor Ariel. Wish I didn't have to have her babysit my big brother like this_... Meri thought to herself as she glanced back at the battle, the two Gundams slashing at each other, neither gaining ground, neither losing ground, Levanah not letting her opponent's shields recover. _But I'd rather not let him near my Strike Freedom._..

"RRAAAAAGH!" the younger combatant roared as her combined Murasama came crashing down on the shield of Jen's Gundam, the Beam Zanber slowly cutting through her opponent's Beam Saber.

"Captain, shields failing!" McNeil shouted to Jen, gritting his teeth.

"I KNOW, DAMN IT!" she snapped back, pulling away the moment the shields lost power, another warning flashing and alerting her to the fact that she was close to the edge of the field. "Hrgh... clever, little Levanah. I see what you're doing now."

"Captain, if you she continues her assault like that-" Mr. Russ started, but was interrupted.

"You think you're fast, girl?" Jen asked her opponent with a slight smirk. Her Gundam swiftly switched between its normal mode and its birdlike alternate mode. "Try to keep up. Engaging Warp."

"'Warp?'" Levanah repeated as the enemy Gunpla began to glow. "Come on, really? Am I gonna have to worry if your Gellar Field collapses, or did you actually try to go full Sta-" a loud "pop" interrupted Levanah's attempted joke. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the Phoenix Gundam Voyager vanished from view, a screeching sound emanating from where it once was and the path it flew in, a small but noticeable shockwave traveling out of the Plavsky-based holograms.

"Th-that can't be!" Nils exclaimed, eyes wide with shock. He stared at Jen's Gunpla from the closed-off room he was in, mouth agape. "The models are too fragile to actually travel at those speeds, how did she do that?!"

"What do you mean 'too fragile?'" Caroline inquired, turning to her boyfriend and supposed fiancé, worried by his shocked expression.

"They're plastic models, Caroline, not actual machines. Actually traveling with enough speed to do something like that..." the boy then took a contemplative stance, chin in his hand. "It might have made a protective sphere or bubble around it, some sort of barrier of air that kept it from experiencing any of the worse effects of such speed, the high G's, but... can Plavsky Particles really do such a thing? For them to manipulate something to such a degree..."

"Then... if that's what she's capable of..." the girl next to him began to think as well, looking at the shocked expressions of the younger fighter.

Levanah felt her legs shake slightly, turning her Gunpla to face the opponent, now quite far away. With a gulp, she asked a slightly obvious question. "How... how did you do that?"

"Oh, you must be aware of the original's capabilities, Little Levanah. This is just a... variation we came up with for Voyager." the woman replied in a haughty, smug tone. "You seem troubled, girl. Thinking on surrendering now, or are you going to drag this match out more?"

The younger combatant was silent, her opponent approaching slowly. She then burst out laughing. "Are you _kidding_?! Surrender? Come on Jen, do you think I'd come this far to just _give up_?! Heh, besides... you've given me just what I need to win."

"Have I now? A bold claim." the older woman replied with a slight bit of relief. "Then show me, if you're so confident. How exactly are you going to win this?"

"Speed and agility." Levanah answered with a smirk, gripping her holographic controls and launching her Gundam around the arena. Jen directed her own Gundam to follow, keeping pace and attacking with her Beam Rifles.

"Phased Beam Cannon almost ready, Captain." Mr. Russ informed her in a slightly less monotone voice than his norm.

"Good, good..." Jen mumbled, focused on her opponent. Without her Funnels to support the pursuit, Jen realized she was having a much harder time keeping pressure on her opponent. Speeding up, trying to engage in melee combat, things proved more even for the two combatants, sabers clashing, the Phoenix Gundam avoiding the Crossbone's counterattacks long enough for its shields to recover fully. Strangely, to Jen at least, Levanah did not attempt for the same shield-draining tactic as before, instead keeping on the defensive. The older fighter decides to keep her opponent on her toes, waiting for the right moment to unleash hell upon the enemy Gunpla.

_Almost have her... just have to stay calm_... the pony-tailed girl thought quietly, leading on Jen and pushing her Crossbone's speed and agility to its normal limits.

"Phased Beam Cannon ready." the African-American man stated to his comrade, the Voyager seemingly backing its opponent to a cliff.

"Time to put an end to this little game! Phased Beam Cannon, FIRE!"

"TRANS-AM! _FAAAAACE... __**OPEN**__!_" the younger fighter shouted as her Gunpla became engulfed in its flaming aura once more, effortlessly dodging the incoming torrent of energy by flying upwards and continuing to lead its opponent once again. The Crossbone swerved around the floating islands, gaining distance from the Phoenix Gundam Voyager at a far greater rate than before.

McNeil exclaimed to Jen, "Captain, we'll lose track of her if we-!"

"I KNOW! Rrrgh... guess I do have to end this now... engaging Warp." the woman responded angrily, her Gunpla glowing once more.

_Only have one shot at this..._ Levanah carefully flew closer to the edge, waiting for her opponent to get a lock on her. As Jen's Gunpla approached, followed by its terrifying sound, the younger fighter carefully swerved out of the way, guarding against the shockwave as best it could. _Gotcha!_ Levanah made her Crossbone cup its hands, the blazing aura feeding into the center as the palm-based I-fields activated. "GN... BLAAAAAZER!"

"Wha- NO!" the older fighter shouted all too late. As the protective bubble faded, the Crossbone's powerful attack connected, slamming into the shield with enough force to collapse it with a powerful explosion, sending the Phoenix Gundam flying... and falling, right out of bounds, hitting the ground with a noticeable, audible "tak."

"Close face!" the girl said with a heavy tone of finality to it. She did it.

[It's time.]

"She's done it! You saw it here, folks, Levanah Morgan has beaten Jen Mul!"

[BATTLE ENDE-E-e-eeeeeeeeeeeeee NEW COMBATANTS]

A collective gasp went around the stadium as the titanic form of the Archangel appeared in the middle of the Battle Field. Jen turned her attention away from her fallen Gunpla and towards the new image, shock and rage on her face. Levanah let out a gulp as she turned her weary Gundam towards the new enemy. Unexpectedly, a girl's voice seemed to come from the Archangel.

["That was impressive work, Levanah Morgan, but tell me, are you ready to give the here and abroad an even better show?"]

The brunette girl gritted her teeth upon seeing hordes of Vagan Mobile Suits departing from the massive ship, when another voice echoed across the stadium.

["If it's a show you want, it's a show you'll get! I'll show you what happens when you interrupt tournaments like this!"]

All eyes focused on the a new form as it appeared in the skies of the Battle Field, Levanah recognizing it instantly. Rin's G-Sorceress Gundam slowly landed on one of the floating islands, cape fluttering. "Show off..." the older girl grumbled upon seeing her friend appear.

["I'm curious how you're doing this, to be honest, it's something we've only scratched the surface of at Yajima..."]

A third voice, now instantly recognizable to the majority of the crowds ad Nils Neilson, his Sengoku Astray Ashura landing beside Rin's Gunpla.

["Even so, you couldn't have picked a worse time to show off like this. We're more than ready for you."]

Caroline's voice added, her SD Knight Gundam landing on the other side. Landing on some nearby islands were Mike, Kristopher, Fellini, Greco, and Kirara's own Gunpla, the Messala Wolf, Wild Titus, Fenice Rinascita, Tallgeese Valhalla, and Gerbera Tetra.

"L-ladies and gentlemen, an attempt at interfering with the final match has been met with a direct confrontation by a number of other skilled Gunpla Fighters, including Nils Neilson himself!" Haley announced, her own Gunpla hovering around her, her Extreme Gundam coming to rest on her head. "While Levanah Morgan has indeed won the match, we cannot end this fight until these new foes either surrender or are defeated. What do they want, why are they here? We're in the dark as much as you all are!"

["One thing is for certain. They shall not tarnish the reputation of Gunpla Battle any farther."]

The crowds started to cheer as they heard the new voice, even more recognizable than the one of the former American Champ, as the third Meijin Kawaguchi's Amazing Exia descended.

* * *

On the other side of the world, in the near dead of the night, a family of three, a mother, father, and son, sat together with a young girl and another boy, watching the live broadcast of the American Championships. The three youths sat together, mouths agape. The father of one of the boys seemed equally stunned.

"Iori-kun, is that...?" the girl started, looking to the boy next to her. "But, what's he...?"

"Meijin's in America?!" the other boy, hands in his brown hair, exclaimed quite loudly.

"S-so he seems, Sazaki... this is the first I heard of this, at least..." The boy in the middle tilting his head and making sure none of his blue hair was in his eyes. "But, why is he-"

["Even you would stand against us, Meijin Kawaguchi? So be it... but know this! Our Gunpla stand for freedom! Beyond that of Yajima's grip, we will make the world a better place. Allow us to show you what true freedom means!"]

The new foe announced as three large vehicles exited the undercarriage of the Archangel, flying around before combining into what seemed like a titanic, primarily red Mobile Suit, vaguely reminiscent of a GM, though at an abnormal scale to the other Gunpla on the field. Standing nearly 70 centimeters tall, it was a sight to behold, even the Meijin was silent.

"A Mega Size customized GM?! Wait, no, it's even larger than a Mega Size..." Sazaki exclaimed. "How did they even make that?"

"That..." the man finally spoke, eyes wide. "That's no GM. Sei, that's..."

"The Legendary Giant-God... Ideon." the World Champion stated in shock. "I... I guess since there was the Gigantis crossover manga, but... this is more than a little unorthodox." Sei and his father then crowded the television, trying to scrutinize every little detail of the unexpected challenger.

* * *

"Meijin... what the hell is that?!" Nils yelled through a private channel to his group.

"A CHALLENGE!" Rin roared in response before Kawaguchi had a chance, grinning maniacally, skillfully dodging around the Vagan Gunpla and slicing them one by one with her Gundam's Saber and blasting the remains with the built-in palm weapons. "So you people think trying to invoke the power of Ide means you're on the side of justice? As impressive and interesting as this build is, it's just a Gunpla, like everything else here! G-Sorceress and I will put an end to your rampage! Get ready to face Yajima's Champion, the girl genius _Rin Ivana!_"

_Boasting just like your idol, huh? Typical, Rin._ Levanah thought quietly, taking formation behind her father. As she engaged the new opponents, she heard the uproarious cheering around them. _Though the boasting certainly has an effect on the crowds, guess I can't blame you too much._

"Kiddo, stick with me and wait for your backup to arrive, you're almost completely drained of power." Mike told his daughter, stomping a Gafran through a small island and into a larger one, firing upwards at a pursuing Danazine with his shotgun.

"'My backup?'" she repeated as a question, raising an eyebrow. "We kinda have everyone here, who else do we have for there to be backup?"

"I'm hurt, sweetie." Haley lied, faking a pout as she approached the Battle Field, microphone noticeably no longer broadcasting. "Forgetting me already?"

"H-haley?! I ah, um..." Levanah started stuttering, face a bright pinkish color, frantically trying to hide her blush as her girlfriend poked her head into the hologram.

"Relax, sweetheart. I've actually got a special treat for you." she said with her usual ear-to-ear wide grin. Moving to the side to another terminal, she pulled out a cord from her guitar and connected it to a slot, a strum turning on the holograms there and a second strum calling two of the Gunpla she brought over to life, both the Extreme Gundam and purple and white Descem taking to the air around her and entering the battle.

Elsewhere, Rin and the Meijin tore through the enemy Mobile Suits, launching their fierce offensive. The sheer skill and power of the two were overwhelming, the Amazing Exia slicing through foe after foe. The G-Sorceress flung Fireball after Fireball, clearing the way with a violent series of explosions. Backing them up were the trio of Nils, Caroline, and Kristopher, cleaning up the stragglers, as Fellini, Kirara, and Greco tried to engage the ship itself by moving around the large group of Vagan Gunpla, carefully avoiding the missiles launched by both the Archangel and the Ideon protecting it.

"All right Levanah Morgan, time for the healing power of music~" Haley told the younger girl. A snorted giggle escaped her girlfriend's mouth. "What, too corny?"

"Just a bit." the brunette responded, smiling. She directed her Gundam to fall back to Haley's two Gunpla, Mike covering for his daughter as a dozen Danazines tried to pursue, machineguns blazing. "What exactly are you trying to-"

Haley answered by playing her song, something Levanah instantly recognized on hearing the first, powerful note. The theme of the Crossbone Gundam, the Skullheart variation. While initially both confused and flattered, she readily noticed what the two Gunpla guitarist and bassist were doing. The battle damage she sustained swiftly repaired, and the drained reserves of Plavsky Particles rapidly restored to their initial start-of-battle maximums.

"That... how... wha..." the younger girl blabbered, not exactly sure hot to react to what just happened.

"I have my ways." the older girl said with a wink. "Now get out there and kick some ass, Levanah!"

"With pleasure! Ready dad?!"

"LET'S PARTY!" Mike shouted, both the Crossbone EXCELSA and Messala Wolf bursting from the scene and unleashing hell upon their foes, swiftly dodging and firing upon the incoming Vagan Mobile Suits. Crashing the Twin Murasama Blades into a pair of Dorados and cleaving them in half, the EXCELSA then kicked another towards its partner Gunpla, who in return stomped it into oblivion, Magnums firing into the heads of a pair of Gafrans. Levanah then moved to join in with Rin and Meijin Kawaguchi, Mike sticking with her. Soon, a majority of the hordes of opponents were devastated, leaving the few around the Archangel and the looming presence of the Ideon, which hauntingly and confusingly to its opponents did little beside to combat them aside from a large degree of missile spam and protecting its ship.

["Is that truly the best you can do? These grunts shouldn't even be worth your time."]

The voice was instantly familiar to a number of people among the combatants, and even some in the crowds. Levanah gritted her teeth. Of course _he_ was here. Of course _he_ was the one piloting it. Of course _he_ was holding back and waiting for her to come blazing in.

"Raito Yamato, I figured you'd be behind this. Up to the same trick as before?"

["Ah, the ever-present thorn in my side, little miss Pirate. This will be the day I _humiliate_ you, with the eyes of the entire world watching. And your little witch friend too."]

In the stands, Meri let out an annoyed groan, face planted in her palm. _"And your little witch friend too?" __**Really,**__ Brobro? Uuuugh... don't make me have to __**actually**__ change my name back home... still, seems the real fun is about to begin_.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not have nor claim to have ownership of the Gundam franchise, series that have crossed over with it, or any other sci-fi stories. If I did, Crossbone Gundam would have had an OVA series by now.

* * *

**Chapter 17: Now Open Up to Limitless Possibilities!**

* * *

In the stands, Belle, Blair, and Levanah's other friends watched in almost stunned silence. Finally, the blonde girl had to ask what was happening. "W-who are these people, and w-what is that giant red... ah, Gundam?"

"It's no Gundam, Belle... n-no Gundam..." Blair adjusted his glasses. "Th-that is the Ideon. The titular gigantic machine from an anime series made by the creator of Mobile Suit Gundam. It at one point had a crossover series with it. It's... a weapon of near-unparalleled, terrifying destructive power in its own series. That anyone could replicate something like it in Gunpla Battle... well, it's certainly not licensed, and that could imply it's even more dangerous than it appears. The stats for the machine might be hacked, or something else might be off about it. "

"Oh no, Levvy..." Belle found herself gripping her friend's arm.

"That voice sounded familiar though..." Blair seemed to recognize it, and only grew more concerned by what such a thing implied. Then he heard Levanah say his name, and it all clicked together. "Wait... it's him?!"

"W-what's _he_ doing here?" the blonde girl exclaimed in shock. "I-is this some sort of grudge match thing?"

"This could be bad..."

Back on the field, though, the brunette pilot of the Crossbone didn't seem as worried by the development. "Hah, seriously? That was the best you could come up with?" Levanah mocked. "Honestly Raito, are you still mad I beat your sorry ass a week ago? And this is how you try to extract revenge?"

["That's the bonus to taking out one of Yajima's lackeys."] the young man's voice proclaimed with a vicious eagerness. ["Your luck will run out today, Pirate. I'll show that you aren't worthy of the title."] Raito's Ideon turned its attention to Levanah, a gigantic fist flying at the smaller Gunpla.

"And who was that right now, your girlfriend or something?" the brunette girl asked with a cheeky grin as she dodged aside.

["No that was my sister's g- HEY, you're one to talk!"]

"Wait, wha-" Levanah started, only to have to dodge out of the way of the Archangel's Lohengrin cannons.

Raito seemed irate. ["Oh don't play dumb, everyone there saw how you and h-"]

["Can you FOCUS!? We have a job to do here, don't you forget that!"]

The girl's voice returned, now more frustrated and embarrassed, lacking much of her previously haughty tone. Among the crowds, Meri Yamato sunk into her seat, trying to be somewhere, _anywhere_ but where she was currently at the moment. _Please stop talking brother. PLEASE stop talking_.

Thankful that the other opponent cut him off, Levanah charged at the ship, Mike and Kristopher providing her with cover fire as Nils, Caroline, and Fellini followed, Meijin Kawaguchi going up to engage the giant opponent, the rest following him.

["Impressive effort you have put forth."] the Meijin proclaimed. ["But you must be able to back up your boasts! You must truly show what you claim... that Gunpla is FREEDOM!"]

_Yeesh, is he always like that?_ Meri thought to herself with a grumble. _Then again... he might still be able to be swayed to our side. If I can understand his... philosophy fi- wait. Crap. Brother. Right... Ugh..._

A titanic beam of white light emerged from around the Ideon's fist, forming a beam blade that continued to the end of the hologram, a terrifying, haunting sound coming from it. The gigantic opponent slashed with the new weapon at the Meijin's group, all barely avoiding it. The Amazing Exia launched at its foe, almost dancing around the titanic sword of light. Rin, however, seemed determined to counter it. Her Gunpla took a stance, a light shining through the Palma Fiocinas.

["As if that'll work! This isn't some actual crossover game thing, you're using Plavsky Particles just like everything else! Particle! Fa! Jin!"]

The G-Sorceress caught the enormous blade, to the apparent shock of Raito, a small chuckle of approval from Nils audible, and the surprise of the audience to the spectacle.

["Just as I thought... you're using the image of the Ideon to bolster your own. You think the look is enough in true Gunpla Battle, don't you?! And to think I was worried about Levanah facing you."] Rin accused her opponent as Levanah fired a volley with her Crossbone's Murasama Busters at the red giant's leg, trying to weaken the knee joint, followed by slashes from Nils' Sengoku Astrau Ashura and Caroline's Knight Gundam, and then a powerful blast from the Fenice Rinascita's Buster Rifle. It damaged and caused the Ideon to stumble, but didn't break the joint like they hoped.

["Shut up! You know _nothing_ of us you _witch_!"] the young man seethed at the girl, spitting the word "witch" like it had a "b" at the start of it, unleashing another titanic blade from the giant machine's free arm. ["I'll end you, I'll end all of you! IDEON SWORD!"]

["I know your type! And we're the ones who will put a stop to the likes of you wherever they show their ugly mugs!"] Rin roared, the first gigantic blade disappearing into a burst of light as she dodged the second. ["G-Sorceress and I put a stop to your schemes! Right, girl?"] The Gunpla seems to almost nod in response.

"Time and a place, Rin!" Levanah shouted, dodging missiles as she attacked the Archangel directly, Vulcans blazing as her Murasamas slashed into the ship's hull, skillfully avoiding the Ideon's foot as it tried to kick it, Nils, Caroline, and Fellini continuing their assault on the red giant's joints. She then contacted her friend once she was on the other side of the two opponents. "We might be able to finish this off quickly, but it's going to take a lot of concentrated firepower, Rin."

["You have my attention."] the redheaded fighter replied in an eager tone, dodging circles around the Ideon's attacks and throwing blasts of ice at its large viewscreen, freezing it over. ["Heh, looks like you might have tried to replicate the power of the machine, but you haven't actually used it before. That's just poor form."]

["SILENCE!"] Raito roared, bringing the blade slashing across the field at Rin, breaking apart some of the floating islands. At the same time, the Archangel fired its Lohengrins to try and trap the girl, most of the rest of the Vagan units converging on the G-Sorceress. As Rin dodged the slash and beams, she activated her Gunpla's barrier and tanked the incoming fire of the remaining foes. As Kirara and the Meijin assaulted the Archangel's weapons ports, Mike and Kristopher tried to clean up the few remaining grunt suits, Rin dropping the barrier to slash at them.

Levanah hovered around the back of the Archangel, clamping her weapons down on her Gundam's hips. "We'll try the same trick as before, Rin, just with a bit more added firepower. Someone needs to keep them sufficiently distracted, though..."

["We've got that part covered."] the girl's father answered, switching weapons out for a pair of shotguns, Kristopher's Wild Titus engaging in its Super Mode. Meijin has his own Gunpla activate its Trans-Am mode with a shout of "RAGE ON, EXIA!" Suddenly, Haley's two Gunpla flew around to Levanah and Rin's, much to both girls' surprise.

"And I've got you covered!" the singer proclaims, starting to play a track. An almost embarrassed but appreciative smile came across her face once she recognized the tune. "Stand Up to the Victory." Part of her pondered for a moment on the disconnect between the song's upbeat tone and the series itself, but stopped upon seeing what the song was doing. A glow, pulsing to the beat, seemed to surround both fighters like a barrier.

In the stands, an embarrassed Meri clutched her head in her hands. _How are you not seeing where they are going? You can see the particles' flow! Ugh... is Ideon really that unwieldy?_ She looked up as Raito continued to flail at his opponents ineffectually._ Oh COME ON now the Meijin is just circling around your arms, he's not even attacking! Uhghhghghg... and now he's going for the Lohengrins... yep. I'm changing my name. Maybe I can find a nice Char mask or something... OH FOR THE LOVE OF-_ She groaned quietly as the Amazing Exia unleashed its assault, the Ideon only finally trying to shoo it away with the titanic blades of light, only barely missing the Archangel in the process.

* * *

"WOULD YOU STAND STILL DAMN IT?!" Raito shouted at his screen, the gigantic figure of the Ideon floating before him as he frantically tried to operate it.

"This is getting us nowhere..." the young woman in the "captain's chair" grumbled. "Authorizing use of the Ideon Gun. ETA thirty seconds and counting until it's ready. Twenty-nine. Twenty-eight. Twenty-seven..."

"FINE! GRAGH!" the young man growled. _Why is there such a delay in registering the flow? Is it a limit of the system, or... no, it's p-probably just that. And Ideon's far more massive than what I'm used to, yeah, that's it..._ Sweat rolled down his face. He couldn't blame himself for this. He WOULDN'T blame himself for this. He focused his anger into trying to strike down someone, ANYONE, and failed time and again. Even Caroline and Kirara managed to avoid his seemingly endless barrage of missiles and flinging blades of white light, the Archangel underneath him soaking up more and more punishment.

* * *

On one side of the battle, Rin prepares herself. The palms of her Gunpla outstretched as Haley's continues to play its song, the pulsing barrier forming around them both. Rin smirked and asked aloud. "Ready, partner?" The G-Sorceress almost seemed to nod in response.

["_These hands of ours glow Crimson Red!_"]

On the other side, Levanah again activated her Crossbone Gundam EXCELSA's enhanced state with a roar of "Trans-Am! FAAAACE... _OPEN_!"

["_Their bloodcurdling scream calls for us to conquer our foes!_"]

At that moment, a large cannon seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of the Ideon. It stopped waving its swords around, the Archangel ascending to the very top of the stage as the Ideon flew below it. Most of the fighters looked up at it in horror as they realized the weapon could very easily wipe them all out. Yuuki attempted to fly at it, but even with the increased speed of the Amazing Exia's Trans-Am mode he didn't know if he'd make it in time.

["Now, Pirate Girl, in front of everyone here, with the whole world watching! With Yajima's cronies to share the same humiliation, with even the Meijin himself here to bare witness! I WILL END YOU!"]

["Energy levels set, Raito. Fire when ready."]

The red giant gripped the terrifyingly large blue cannon, energy building up around it. Just then, a loud sound echoed through the field. Something else was there.

["IDEON GUN! _FIRE!_"]

"All power to shields! Make this count!" a woman's voice shouted.

"Shields at full strength, Captain." a man's voice responded.

Jen grinned and opened a channel to her former opponent. "You owe me for this one, Levanah Morgan. You have one chance after this. Make it count." The Ideon's weapon fired at the Phoenix Gundam Voyager at point blank range, what seemed to be a tornado, perhaps hurricane of energy crashing into the shield around the smaller Gunpla with a horrid sound. Sparks of electricity flew through the air as warning signals flashed around Jen. She ignored them, keeping the shield up for as long as she could. Slowly the haunting white energy started to break through, ripping the Gundam apart piece by piece.

To Raito's surprise, the action blocked out the brunt of the attack, even if it became completely annihilated as a result. To the shock of Jen and everyone else, even with a majority of the energy tanked by the shields and body of the Voyager, a torrent still came through, washing over and damaging most other fighters' Gunpla. The Amazing Exia pushed onwards with the Meijin roaring in defiance, avoiding the falling remnants of the Voyager and ramming its blade into and along the cannon right as its Trans-Am started to run out.

["M-MEIJIN!"] Rin cried out.

["FINISH IT! NOW!"] he roared, carefully avoiding a desperate last grab from the Ideon.

The redhead gritted her teeth, but continued. ["Tch... _Let the fools who stand before us fall before our power!_"]

Levanah brought her Gundam's hands back to condense the blazing aura into a sphere, energy feeding into it. "With everything we've got! Zenryoku Zenkai! _GN_..."

["_DRAGON SLAYER_...!"]

"_**BLAAAAZZEEEERR!**_"

["_**TENKYOOOOUKEEEEEEENNN!**_"]

The two girls launched their attacks as the Amazing Exia fell from the Ideon, a blade rammed deep into the cannon. All other fighters that were capable launched one last volley, everything they had to make sure the red titan wouldn't get the chance to even attempt another blast with the Ideon Gun. Beams, bullets, missiles, and other projectiles slammed into the enemies as the two spheres of raw power collided into the Ideon, shredding through it and passing through like red-hot knives through soft butter, armor melting, tearing, bubbling, and finally exploding. They made their way through and right into the Archangel above it, crashing through and annihilating the ship. A bright, brilliant flash filled the arena. The entire area was quiet, the audience staring, waiting. Finally, the call was made:

[BATTLE ENDED]

An uproarious cheer came from the crowds. Haley waited until the holograms started to fade, collecting her Gunpla and then her microphone and jumping back on her stage. Jen approached Levanah, the two staring for a moment.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you all for your patience in dealing with this situation, but I we can finally declare the winner. Levanah Morgan is the new American Gunpla Champion! Let's all give her a round of applause!"

The cheering grew louder as Jen and Levanah shook hands. "Congratulations, Champ."

"Thank you, Jen Mul."

"Don't think for a second that I'm going to take this defeat on its own, though. Next time, we will win."

The young brunette couldn't help but smile at that remark. "I'll be waiting." Then, looking at the wreckage of the Phoenix Gundam Voyager, she had to ask, "Why'd you help us?"

"Because they betrayed our trust. They interfered. Though... it seems your group of people were prepared for this." She gave a neutral look, not quite expressing approval or disapproval of their actions, something between the two mixed with genuine curiosity. "Is that true?"

Levanah nodded. "More that we wanted to be prepared if something did happen. Of course... Rin apparently wanted everyone else to be a bit more... dramatic, about it."

"Hah! Oh that girl really still hasn't changed in all these years." the woman shook her head as she laughed. "Seems she still has similar... tastes. Then again the same can be said for you, can't it?"

Levanah chuckled guiltily. "I use what I think is fun, what I'm more... used to. Is it so bad to fight with your favorites?" It was her former opponent's turn to give a guilty laugh. "Still... who were these people, Jen? Why were you associated with them?"

The woman frowned, then looked at her associates, both finally coming over. "They are a group that is... dissatisfied with Yajima's near-monopoly on the Plavsky Particles and their applications. They genuinely believe that they're helping the world. They believe that... if they have the power to make a difference, they should put it to good use. But it seems even good intentions can cause those without focus to cloud their judgment. They go by the name... TERMINAL."

"...'Terminal.' Really. Let me guess, it's spelled with all caps, right?" the young girl questioned. Jen nodded, smiling and rubbing the back of her neck.

* * *

"Come on, that was totally planned." a young man's voice debated.

"Planned. The Archangel coming out of nowhere with the IDEON of all things on top of it, surrounded by Vagan Mobile Suits, attacking the Champ, while the former Champs, the Italian Champ, and a number of other fighters from who knows where arrive to intercept. This was all planned." another voice dryly responded.

"Tell me this doesn't sound like something out of a wrestling plotline."

"For the last time, Gunpla Battle isn't wrestling! Why do you keep trying to link things to wrestling?!"

As the two argued back and forth, Meri slowly headed out from the stadium, listening in on the, to her, amusing argument. _Well, that's one reaction to it... hrmn. Looks like we can't risk something like this again, though._

"Come on Afranche, I'm telling you, this was set up. It was a damn fine ending, but really, you can't honestly expect me to believe this all just _happened_ on its own?"

"Glemy for the love of... ok, IF this were a setup, why use the mishmash of Gunpla? Wouldn't it make more sense to use something like, SEED Mobile Suits and the Legend Gundam if they're flying around in the Archangel?"

"That's what they'd _want _you to think!"

Meri laughed softly and exited the building. _As if I'd ever let Raito anywhere near my Gunpla. Though... heh, I guess they'll get their wish soon enough_. The girl put on her helmet and riding gloves, hopping on her motorcycle and giving one last look back at the building. _See you in Japan, American Champion. We'll be waiting_.

* * *

_Well folks, sorry for the delay on this, but the American Championships are over! Next chapter will be something a little different: a bit of a Q&amp;A session, both for the series and some in-character ones. So feel free to leave what questions you want and for whom, and they'll be incorporated into the chapter. Thanks for all the feedback so far, and thanks for all your patience on the delays!_

Q&amp;A session is up, please, feel free to head over here: topic/180367/135793246/1/


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Gundam franchise or any other property associated with it. If I did, Mobile Suit Gundam École du Ciel would probably have had an OVA adaptation by now.

* * *

**Chapter 18: A Matte White Coat Before the Splash of Red**

* * *

Levanah sat quietly with her family, fidgeting her thumbs. The sight wasn't exactly something new to her, she'd been to several press conferences before. The new part was that it wasn't her father being the one answering questions. It was herself, this time around.

"Miss Morgan!" "Miss Morgan!" "Miss Morgan." "MISS MORGAN!" "Miss Morgan!" "Morgan-san!" "Mademoiselle Morgan!" "Miss Morgan!" "Signorina Morgan!" "Señorita Morgan!" "Miss Morgan!"

Somehow she felt that she was going to learn to hate hearing her name repeated like that. Again, and again, and again. Still, she agreed to this. With Nils and Caroline seated nearby, she at least felt a bit more confident that they'd be able to smooth things over, if only slightly. Hesitantly, Levanah selected someone from among the crowds. "Y-yes, th-the um, lady in the white and purple?" Smooth.

The woman stands. "Icelina Cody, NYT. Miss Morgan, how does it feel becoming the American Champion?"

"Uh... intimidating, fantastic, surprising..." Levanah forced a smile, rubbing the back of her neck. "I can't say it's something I thought I'd be a couple weeks ago..." Smooth again. And then come the repeating of her name yet again. "Ah... um... b-blonde and blue hair, y-you, sir."

"Jess Rable, reporting for Matias. Miss Morgan, how long have you been an active Gunpla Fighter?"

"Well, um... about eleven years now?" Murmurs filled the room. "I'm sixteen, currently, close to seventeen." A few people seemed to take interest in that comment. Still, might as well press on... "Ah, th-the... er, lady in the purple hat?"

"Fran Doll, for Inglessia Weekly. Miss Morgan, as it is apparent that you are the daughter of former United States President Michael Morgan..." She paused for a second, all eyes now pointed at the man seated next to the new American Champ before returning to the girl herself. "...do you have any interest in politics?"

Levanah frantically shook her head no. "No, definitely no. Not in a million years. I'd make a terrible politician." Small bits of friendly laughter could be heard throughout the room, most clearly from Mike himself. "N-next question, please. Er, you, sir, with the glasses and beard?"

"Hai, Ikeda desu, JNN." The man stood, and in a somewhat heavy Japanese accent, asked, "Morgan-san, as, ah, one of the few Americans heading to Japan for the World Championship as a competitor, do you have any words to aspiring Gunpla Fighters, those from your own country and abroad?"

Levanah sunk back in her seat slightly. That wasn't going to be an easy question to answer. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel a little happy that she'd be able to say something about that. She cleared her throat. "Well... I'll start with the hard part first. You're not going to be an expert when starting out, I myself was sort of terrible." the girl chuckled softly. "But... what got me going was my dad helping me figure things out. It's good to learn from someone you can trust, but you also need the drive to learn, and improve yourself. And I guess... well, just try to have fun with it. Gunpla Battle is supposed to be about having fun, don't get discouraged by losses or those who take things all too seriously." The comment about her father really started up mumbling among the reporters. "Ah... er, um... the man in the vest and orange shirt?"

"Caesar Takamiya, Argama Monthly. Miss Morgan, did we hear that correctly? Did you just state that your father was the one who helped you learn Gunpla Battle?"

"Er... y-yes?" she answered, playing with her ponytail. The reporters all started to talk amongst themselves, hundreds of pens could be heard quickly writing things down. Mike himself chuckled heartily. "N-next question... er, ahm... y-yes, brunette lady in the purple, er, shirt?"

"Bernadette Leroux, PLANT Digest. Miss Morgan, our readers would like to know, with as unique a hobby you seem to be involved in, do you have a special someone in your life currently?"

...well that wasn't something she was expecting to hear. Still twirling a finger in her ponytail, Levanah stayed silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts. At first her dad seemed to try and stand, tell the lady such a question was inappropriate, but she stopped him. Levanah took a deep breath. OK. Simple and straightforward... "I have a girlfriend, yes."

The barrage of questions that followed seemed almost deafening. Caroline tried to hide her embarrassed face, Nils sighing lowly. "You didn't have to answer that one..."

"Well, too late, I did." Levanah stated defiantly, arms crossed. She tried picturing the headlines now. What a strange turn of events in just a couple weeks.

"Well, if you're fine having that on record..." the girl's mother commented, smiling, leaning forward. "Can I tell them who your special someone is?" she asked in a teasing tone.

"Jodi!" Mike protested in an annoyed tone.

"Mom!" the girl added at the same time, in the same annoyed tone.

"Juuuuust teasing, sweetie." the woman poked her blushing daughter's cheek.

"Ugh... really, mom Waiting for the reporters to get back to more... normal questions, Levanah finally pointed to one of them. "W-well, um... yes, the, er, gentleman in the blue and white suit?"

"Kai Collins, AEUG News. Miss Morgan, any comments on the supposed hacking of the Championship match a few days ago?"

Nils looked at the brunette girl, trying to motion for her not to answer, but she would have none of that. Levanah stood up, gesturing her Crossbone to point at the most direct camera in front of her. "They tried such an incident before, and whoever they are, I want to make one thing clear: you saw the force that rose against you here in America. Try any schemes like that again in Japan, against the Gunpla Battle Champions of the world, and your defeat will only be even more certain! And don't forget that EXCELSA and I will be there to stop you! You will not tarnish the reputation of Gunpla Battle!"

* * *

"Quite a mouth that girl has." a teenage girl with black hair commented, sipping some grape-flavored sparkling water from a plastic wine glass. "Still, skilled enough to make a difference for us. Shame."

"Jen and her cohorts turning against us is her fault." a young man added grumpily. "Don't forget that."

"You antagonizing her didn't help much either, brother." a third voice, another young girl's, commented critically. "Don't _you_ forget _that_." She walked forward hard, making her presence known. She wore a black, white, and blue pilot suit, with a white helmet with tinted blue glasses and red lines breaking up the sections of white obscuring her face.

Raito gave a blank expression for about half a minute. He then tried his hardest to hold back laughter. "R-really, sis? That's the outfit you're going for?"

Meri pouted. "What's wrong with it?"

"Well, on the plus side, I wouldn't associate with you in public if you're wearing that. It's a great disguise." he gave with a thick degree of snark. "What, are you also going to register under the name 'Neo Kira' or something?"

"...shut up." she answered with a thankfully hidden blush. "Y-you think it looks good, don't you Ariel?" Meri asked with a sweet, cutsey voice.

"Not gonna lie, darling, you've come up with better outfits." the other girl offered dryly, taking another sip from her drink. "Especially that adorable Lacus one, you know, the black kimono-looking one with the short skirt that show off your legs so we-"

"ARIEL!" the brunette girl interrupted with a shout.

"Just teasing, my darling~" she giggled softly, to the grumbles of Raito.

"If the three of you are done with your shenanigans, I believe we have more pressing matters to turn to." a fourth voice, this one belonging to a teenage blonde boy dressed in a blue shirt, tan shorts, and a cream-colored scarf. "Like her." He points to the image of Levanah, answering another question.

"Oh, hi Marke." Raito said as the other boy walked in.

"Ugh... again with that same joke..." he grumbled.

"Well, what do we know?" Ariel asked, sitting up straighter and turning the conversation back around.

Meri pulled out her phone, a holographic projection screen displayed on it. "Levanah Morgan, age 16, born July 7th. She hasn't honestly done much of note up until now, any information related to her is mostly about her father."

"Understandable." Marke commented, rubbing his chin. "I mean, she is the daughter of a former President of the United States, single-term or not. Aside from that, I doubt there would be much beyond what the tabloids try to make up."

"Certainly have some more fuel now..." Raito mentioned in a dry tone.

"In any case." the other boy grunted. "We have more. Anything you could pull up on that guitarist girl that seems to have associated with the pirate wannabe?"

"Yeah, I've been a bit curious about how that 'Gunpla band' of hers works..." Ariel commented before taking another sip from her drink.

"Haley Jo, age 17, born October 16th. Parents apparently died when she was younger, and she was raised alongside her brother by her grandmother. Junior Promoter of the 9th Gunpla Battle World Championships. Bandai and Yajima have been looking towards actual players doing some of the promoting. Gimmicks aren't revealed to the public, though rumor has it that Bandai is trying for some other promotional deals with larger bands, and using her as an example." Meri explained, looking through pictures on her phone. "Seems this Haley girl is quite an active... photographer. Hey, I can even see you in one of them, brother."

"Huh. From the promotional Tournament a while ago." the young man added, slightly bemused.

Ariel shrugged. "That makes sense, in any case. It's not like it's the first time Bandai has used American bands to promote their products. Didn't they work with one for one of the Extreme Vs. games?"

"They did. So, she's probably not too much of an issue in actual battle, though we should be cautious of any surprises in case we pull another stunt again. What about the other girl? Delusional one with the 'magic' Gundam?" Marke questioned, rubbing his chin.

"You're one to talk..." Raito mumbled under his breath.

"Rin Ivana." Meri interrupted them both before an argument could start between them. "15 years old, born November 17th. Some sort of prodigy kid, already attending College in upstate New York." She tapped on her phone, eyes glaring at the picture of the redhead in a lab coat, adjusting her glasses. "Associate to Nils Neilson, and seems to be being scouted by Yajima to help work on programming. Already a representative of sorts for the company, from the look of it. One of the best Gunpla Fighters in the United States, given her ranking. Apparently also an, er... massive otaku. Seems she's a moderator on more than a couple anime forums, and helps run the 'Japan Club' at her university. Multilingual, too. English, Russian, Spanish, Japanese..." The next picture showed her and the rest of the supposed club, all in some form of cosplay or another.

Marke eyed the picture suspiciously. "I saw the battle earlier. That Gunpla was... wow. This girl seems a bit... oh, what's the best way to phrase it..."

"Aggressive?" Meri tried to finish.

"Annoying?" Raito added his own ending.

"Theatrical?" Ariel threw in her own guess.

"Full of herself, given what I've seen." Marke almost snorted out. "Yeah. She seems completely full of herself."

"She still has managed to best us more than once." the brunette girl admitted with a sigh.

"She's the real threat, then?" Ariel asked, getting up and walking over to Meri, leaning on her shoulder. "I mean, she _did_ sort of one-shot our Archangel more than once. We don't know what else that Gunpla is really capable of, but it is more than enough to best some of our strongest weapons, operator error or not." Raito grumbled at her loudly, muttering things that sounded like swears under his breath.

"That depends on how Meijin Kawaguchi will react to us." Meri responded, the image on her phone changing from that of the ginger girl to the young man himself. "If I get lucky in Japan, I might be able to do something that'll convince him about what we're doing..."

"If not... there is still Iori Sei." Raito brought up, clearing his throat. "The current Champion himself might be only slightly aware of what's been going on. You yourself will most certainly have a lot of common ground to discuss with him, sis. Start there, before the Tournament, hell, try to make friends with him if you can."

"Heh, of course. As long as you aren't asking me to start flirting with him, I think I can handle this, brobro." Meri stuck her tongue out at the young man. Raito glared at her.

"...Ariel, do you know where Mr. Sledgehammer might be hiding?" he asked as he cracked his knuckles.

"Be nice, Raito. And please do not break any Gunpla that we can actually use." the girl responded in a disappointed tone.

"Meanie butt." Meri stuck her tongue out at her brother.

"Actually sweetie, what about your Gunpla? Is it battle-worthy enough, or do you think you might need to give it another test-go?" Ariel asked as she offered her drink to Meri, the brunette girl taking a sip before responding.

"Well... Eternal Freedom could use a bit more testing..." she thought aloud, rubbing her chin. "Marke, mind if we give it a go? Just a quick test run."

The boy shrugged. "Feh, all right, I'll get one of my Musha Gundams ready."

"No, no, I need a real challenge. Get your Championship Gundam." Meri asked with determination.

"...you're serious? You're serious. Damn. All right, jeeze." Marke started walking out the way he came in, looking back at her. "Don't blame me if you need to make some repairs afterward. My Beginning Gundam Z-BRAVE bested even Julian's new Record Breaker Limitless."

"I'll try to keep damage to your Gunpla to a minimum." the girl said with a haughty grin.

* * *

Levanah leaned back in her chair, eyes still fixed to her computer. She'd thought the interviews would be over by now, she could just relax for the rest of the day at home, not worry about answering a barrage of further questions. And then she checked her computer. It'd been maybe an hour since she'd gotten home and she was just barely done with all the people sending her messages.

Levanah sighed and looked at her pet's case. "Well Amanda, it's been... quite a few days, hasn't it?" The snake seemed to look towards her owner in acknowledgement, flicking her tongue, then turning away for a drink of water. "Yeah, thought so. Hooh... well, only a few left..." She checked on the next few.

[crimsonlightningMS06R2: What is your favorite early UC Mobile Suit? Also, Feddie or Zeek?]

[GhostofAllster15: What's your favorite romance in Gundam?]

[YurinAsuno115: Which AU series do you like best?]

[GSGump010ZZ: Who is your favorite protagonist?]

[ANIME_JA_NAI: BEST GIRL IN GUNDAM?]

[MagnatC4NintoSpess: How much do you spend on Gunpla monthly?]

[LeCygne008: Any tips for someone who's been trying to get into Gunpla building?]

"More of the same, but... well, guess I can answer them. Just gotta get through these ones..." She leaned forward again and started typing up responses.

[Kaizoku777: Tough one on early UC, but sort of fond of the grunts. Zakus and GMs and all their variants. Feddie or Zeek? Londo Bell's my favorite of the early UC groups, so I guess I'm a bit in the Feddie-sympathizing camp.

Favorite romance? Garrod and Tiffa. They're adorable together.

Hard choice, but favorite AU is probably a tie between G or X, Turn-A not too far behind.

Tobia Arronax is my favorite of all the protags. Best pilot for Gundam!

Er, favorite of all females? Probably a toss-up between Allenby Beardsley and Pala Sys. Christina Mackenzie is up there too, though.

I spend no more than 30 bucks on Gunpla monthly, usually, though depends on the kind of money I've saved up. Painting supplies and Gundam Markers can add up if you aren't careful.

Start small, and try to find something affordable that you like, but won't feel too bad about making a few mistakes on. SD kits are great for learning, especially if you want to start painting. Definitely read up on painting guides and find which ones suit you best, and try to balance things out with what you want and what you can afford. Don't fret over mistakes, and don't worry if things take a while to get done. Gunpla building as a hobby takes time as well as money, and Gunpla Battle even moreso.]

"There, that should do it." she said aloud with a hint of satisfaction. Still, she figured that one last check couldn't hurt. With a refresh, there were mostly responses to her answers, and one new message sat there. Just one.

[11moardakka11: Hello American Champ. No... hello, Levanah Morgan. I want a rematch. Same place you beat me the first time around. Tomorrow half past noon. Be there.]

She stared at the request. Profile pic made it clear who the person was. "Well well well, Zack Rolla. Wanting to see how much you've improved?" Levanah turned away from her computer again. "What do you think, Amanda? Should I accept the challenge?"

The snake seemed to again turn to her owner in apparent acknowledgement of being talked to. She flicked her tongue again and stared at the girl for a while, and then slithered around the case to a little spot under the lamp-warmed rock and coiled up.

"Aheh, as much of an answer as I'd expect from you." the brunette girl said with a soft chuckle. "I'll call Belle, Blair, and Haley then. Should be a good warm-up."

[Kaizoku777: You're on, Zack. Hope you're ready!]


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Gundam or any series associated with it, or any other series involving giant robots. If I did, there'd be a Build Fighters Amazing OVA adaptation by now.

* * *

**Chapter 19: The World Goes On, Through Sky-Blue Days**

* * *

"So aside from Gundam, what other shows are you into, Haley?" Blair asked, walking with the girl and the rest of his friends.

"Mostly into sci-fi stuff, and a bit of fantasy. Honestly I have a lot of nostalgia for Macross 7." the blonde girl responded, twirling a purple strand of her hair in her fingers.

"Macross, huh? Neat." Levanah commented with a cheerful smile, walking along with almost a skip as she seemed to hum a little tune to herself.

Haley poked her girlfriend's cheek. "Well well, seems someone is in a good mood today."

"A bit excited, really." the brunette girl responded with a bit of a smirk. "Just sort of have been since I became champ."

"You won't be smiling for long, Levanah Morgan." a voice ahead of them declared. The group turned their attention to the person it came from, the figure of a very confident Zack standing ahead, arms crossed and a smug grin on his face. "I asked for a rematch for a reason."

"That you did, Zack." Levanah replied with a nod, adjusting her cap slightly.

The boy stepped forward, a new Gunpla in hand. A modified Super Custom Zaku F2000, with additional armaments from the Heavyarms Kai and what seemed to be an additional weapon in the torso, a few extra boosters, and an odd extra backpack bit. "I need to test this baby's real capabilities out. A rematch with you seems like it'd be the best way to do it, while also seeing how far I've come."

The two combatants headed towards the Gunpla Battle Terminal, staring each other down, brimming with confidence. "Got a name for that thing, Zack?"

"Name and a backstory." he declares with an odd sense of pride. "The Super Dakka Zaku F2222! From the shambles of Zeonic's R&amp;D division after it was absorbed into Anaheim Electronics, the concept for the ultimate Zaku weapons platform, a competitor of the ATMOS design, this baby's designed to be able to go toe-to-toe against the Formula series Gundams and even surpass them!" He almost jabs the Gunpla forward for emphasis. "And today, I hope to prove it can match up to the successor Gundam to the older Formula models. How about that Championship Crossbone of yours? You have a story behind that as well?"

Overcome by a slightly unusual sense of one-upmanship, Levanah revealed her Gundam, striking a little pose. Haley couldn't help but join in, humming a heroic-sounding little tune. "Blazing out from the pitch black shadows Dark History's dreary past, a hero of justice pierces through the darkness with a radiant flame of hope! A machine based on the data of the Crossbone Gundam X-7, enhanced with the long lost technology of the GN Drive, the EXCELSA stands tall, stalwart, ready to give it everything it has against the villains of the future! Free as the open seas, ready to live up to the name of Gundam... and exceed that legacy!"

The girl's two other friends stare silently, slightly dumbfounded by the display. Zack on the other hand seemed to take it remarkably well, grinning wide, barely able to contain his excitement. Blair sighs out a quiet "Dorks" as the group moves towards the Gunpla Battle Terminal.

Zack cracked his knuckles, psyching himself up a bit. "Say, if I win this, that make me the new American Champion?"

Levanah's confident smile broke for only a single word. "_If._"

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GP BASE]

* * *

[BEGINNING PLAVSKY PARTICLE DISPERSAL]

In a brightly lit but secluded room, four people walked in, a young man and teenage girl taking their places on opposite sides of a Gunpla Battle Terminal.

"I can still switch out for something else, Meri, don't want to waste all the effort on just a simple spar-"

"Marke, believe me, I can handle this. If anything, I should be asking if you have any spare parts ready..." the girl replied with a somewhat haughty smile.

The young man almost took offense to that. "This IS the machine that defeated Julian's Gunpla. You don't really believe that I've not accounted for repairs, do you? Come on Meri, you really think I'd be that foolish?"

[FIELD 07: RUINS]

The girl shrugged her arms. "Always got to make sure."

A soft giggle from Ariel escaped her lips. "Sweetheart, do try to actually focus on this."

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GUNPLA]

Meri did as the machine requested, placing a heavily customized METEOR-equipped Freedom Gundam, with some added extra details from the successor unit, the Strike Freedom. The blues on the Gunpla replaced with a salmon-reddish color matching that of its modified METEOR unit, which itself was heavily modified to resemble the FFMH-Y101 Eternal command ship, parts taken from the model kit of it, with extra splashes of white to break up the color scheme. The large Beam Cannons on the sides of the backpack unit were modified to resemble the front of the Eternal, each with expertly crafted smaller METEOR units attached to them, with an additional ones strapped to the legs of the Gundam. Overall the Gundam gave off a fairly imposing appearance.

Marke on the other hand placed a far less intimidating-looking Gunpla down. A heavily modified Beginning Gundam, the chest given additional front armor, designed to resemble the head of an eagle, wings splayed open, with significant upgrades to the armor of the arms and especially the legs, giving the limbs much greater bulk. The shoulder armor was given much greater flair, each piece now sporting the pair of triple Beam Sabers the Beginning Gundam was known for, the head modified with new bits of armor for the side and V-fin, with some bits clearly taken from the Masurao and modified down to it. In the oddly modified hands of the Gunpla were a flashy shield, taken and modified from the Victory 2 Assault Gundam's Mega Beam Shield, and knightly-looking double-bladed physical sword, cross guard of it given a wing motif. The entire package colored in powerful-looking reds, whites, and blacks, with highlights of gold.

The girl's eyes focused hard on her Gunpla, then turned to her opponent's. A smirk came across her face. "Just as good as I remember it looking. Did you fix the particle control issue for-?"

"Hah, Meri, do you take me for a fool?" Marke questioned, cracking his knuckles before reaching for the controls. "I've gotten it down to a manageable level."

"Manageable, huh?" She gripped the holographic controls, the smirk fading. "Might not good enough."

[BATTLE START]

"Beginning Gundam Z-BRAVE! For justice!"

"Eternal Freedom Gundam, launch!"

* * *

"Super Dakka Zaku! Launch!"

"Crossbone Gundam EXCELSA! Time for some Piracy!"

The two Gunpla burst forth into an island at what seemed to be dusk, though the image of the setting sun replaced with a dazzling image of 400 million setting stars; dusk with an entire galaxy filling the sky. The Zaku landed a short distance away from the Gundam, weapons primed and ready. Levanah's Gunpla stood its ground but gave a clear impression that it was ready to move at a moment's notice. The two Gunpla Fighters stared each other down, each stepping their respective units to the side, circling them around each other.

"It's a damn shame I'm going to end up trashing that thing." Zack said haughtily. "It's a well-built Gunpla."

"Talk trash all you want." the brunette girl responded. "Can't hurt what you can't hit." With a grin on her face, the Gundam bolts forth, in the blink of an eye flying at the Zaku with weapons ready, trying for a direct hit. Not backing down from the challenge, Zack had his Gunpla unleash a torrent of beams and bullets at the opponent. None seemed to make their mark, the Crossbone's superior agility allowing it to stay one step ahead of the barrage, bullets missing their mark and what beams that did make contact tanked by the Gundam's cloak. With the blades ready, Levanah prepared a swing with her Crossbone's Twin Murasamas. "Better luck next time!"

"Is that what you think?" Zack asked with a smirk. In an instant, his Zaku bolted out of the way, dodging the blades easily, with speeds beyond what a bulky machine like that should be capable of. A swift kick from the Zaku's leg towards the Crossbone's own knocked Levanah's Gunpla off-balance, the mono-eyed machine catching the Gundam with the barrels of its gun. "You think you're the only one who's learned the importance of speed in battle?"

Levanah quickly bolted away with her Gundam's thrusters, narrowly avoiding a point-blank shot to the torso. Soon she was able to see why the Gundam missed its target. An odd pinkish glow seemed to shimmer around the Zaku for a moment, before slowly dissipating. "Impressive. Definitely not the Trans-Am, what was that?"

A smirk crept across Zack's face. "I mentioned it was a competing design to the ATMOS, right?" A low hum seemed to emanate from the Zaku as its eye flashed. "Advanced Tactical Mobile Suit. It has a special system in place, something meant to match the speed and power of the Formula series." The Zaku took aim again, Levanah having her Gundam prepare to move. "With a special system designed to enhance performance... the Mega Boost E-CAP!"

* * *

"Grah! How do you keep doing that?!" Marke roared at Meri, swinging his Gundam's sword at the opponent. Time and time again, he'd tried and failed to land a solid hit, and could only barely manage to defend himself against the firepower of his foe.

"I warned you." the girl replied haughtily. Even with how massive her Gunpla appeared to be, it was exceptionally agile, helped only further with its pilot's unnatural skill and ability. "Even without the Embody System active... I can see every single move you're going to make."

"Oh come on!" the young man growled out, taking another swing with the Gundam's sword. He managed to tank a barrage of beams with the shield, though repeated usage was taking its toll. "Don't think that your ability will be the deciding factor here! Or did you forget?" Marke activated a button on his Beginning Gundam Z-BRAVE's controls labeled [SP]. "Your predictions can't work when there's this much raw power being flung around the battlefield!"

The girl moved her Gundam back, preparing for what her opponent was about to do. She knew that claim wasn't a bluff. At the same time, it was also clear how much the claim was also one of desperation. 'You better have worked out the particle control issue...'

Flattened disks of green seemed to erupt from the Beginning Gundam's body, energy jetting from all around it. Soon it stopped seeming like the power was coming from the Gunpla itself and changed to apparently draw in energy from the surrounding area. The disks hovered around the Gunpla, surging energy surrounding it, the field itself starting to darken, colors losing saturation. Raw power seemed to howl and screech around Marke's Gunpla, the faint, haunting glow around tie figure brightening as it begins rising in the air slightly. "Z-BRAVE... A.C.E. MODE!"

Away from the terminal, Meri's brother groaned aloud. "Ugh, he's _still_ going by that dumb name?"

"'Absorb Control Emission' isn't THAT bad a name." Ariel commented with a cheerful smile, looking at the other girl with confidence. "But it won't make much of a difference. This battle is will be over soon."

Meri immediately bolted her own Gundam away, trying to make as much distance between it and her opponent's as possible. Firing a few beams directly at the enemy Gunpla and several more towards the ground to make a smokescreen. Before the dust kicked up, the beams aimed at the Beginning Gundam did seem to hit their mark... only for them to dissipate harmlessly into small flashes of light, slowly fading into the Gunpla. The girl grit her teeth. 'It's still taking in particles... either he's managed to finally get it under control, or...'

Marke had his Gundam raise its blade into the air, energy erupting from it, taking on an odd, superficial appearance to a pair of flaming wings, stretched upwards, continuing on for several times the length of the blade, and then the Gunpla itself. "Z-BRAVE... VOID BREAKER!" With a slight delay between the declaration and movement, the Gundam brought the titanic blade of energy crashing down, the same darkening, color-draining effect around its wielder surrounding the sword. Meri quickly moved aside and tried to parry the oncoming torrential blade, but as soon as her own giant Beam Sabers made contact, they dissipated, with only the speed of her Freedom Gundam managing to keep it out of harm's way.

'Better control... but that took longer than it should have. I was a sitting duck for a moment there. If I'm not mistaken...' She sensed the flow of particles, and managed to spot some... peculiarities. Meri continued backing up, opening communications with her opponent. "Marke, if you keep this up for much longer-"

"Hah, thinking on backing down already?!" he roared in response, trying with all his might to force his Gunpla to take another swing with its titanic, powerful stream of energy flaring around its sword. The slight delay returned, ever so slightly longer than it previously was.

The Eternal Freedom this time refused to be within any remote distance of its opponent's weapon, bolting away at lightning speed. Meri shook her head. "So much power, and yet you still can't control it completely." Gracefully moving out of the path of the enemy Gundam's sword, the miniature METEOR units on the girl's Gunpla detached. "A shame... we have only a short time to fix this issue." The units surrounded her Gunpla in formation, circling her. "But at the very least, I believe this has been a good learning experience for you. Now... METEOR Funnels! _FIRE!_"

* * *

"How long can you keep that up, Zack?!" Levanah shouted, pulling her Crossbone away from her opponent. A near-miss from Zack's Zaku once again, one that'd have surely cost her the match if she were but a fraction of a second too slow. "Don't think you've won yet, I've still got-"

"Hah, I took note of how much startup time is needed for your specialized Trans-Am, you won't get the chance!" he roared, firing another volley and following it up with another attempted kick to where Levanah's Gundam tried to dodge to. Carefully the two machines danced around each other, taking calculated, precise shots and making careful yet powerful strikes when able.

Haley grit her teeth as she watched the battle, lowly mumbling aloud, "Come on... you can do this, Levanah..."

Blair gave a curious glance at the Zaku, studying its movements carefully. "Zack's really trying to give it his all. But..."

"'But?'" Belle repeated curiously. "You think Levvy can still win?"

"If Zack can't catch her, he'll run out of his performance-boosting technique eventually." the boy confirmed. "But if Levanah is just stalling... that's not enough for her." He then looked around, the battle drawing a fairly large crowd. "...what're you playing at, Levanah?"

The EXCELSA's thrusters roared to life as a lucky shot managed to damage the Twin Muramasa Busters, the Gundam throwing its weapons down as it brought up its Beam Shields, successfully blocking the next few beams directed at it, the shields beginning to spin. "You're not getting me that easily!" Levanah roared, blitzing towards her opponent.

"Tch!" Zack was taken back by the sudden change into a more aggressive response from his opponent. He tried to mount a response, but found himself having to dodge aside. A knife jetting out from the Crossbone's foot found its way to the Zaku's own weapons, kicking it upwards and slapped aside by the spinning Beam Shield, damaged beyond usefulness. The Crossbone's Vulcans then unloaded into the Zaku's armor, and though the damage was minor, it was readily apparent to Zack that his opponent found a way to gain the upper hand. "Grh! You asked for it! Mega Boost E-CAP!"

As Zack bolted his Gunpla away, he was surprised to see his opponent not giving chase, but instead backing up herself. Levanah smirked. "That seems to be an overall doubling of your Gunpla's abilities... yeah, and you can turn it on and off fairly quickly." She crossed her arms, selecting something on her holographic controls. "EXCELSA's not able to do that quite as quickly... but she has one trick up her sleeve that more than makes up for it! TRANS-AM! _Faaaaace..._" Levanah then thrust both arms down and activated it. "_OPEN!_"

Haley smiled wide as she started to hear that same, heroic tune again. "You've got this, Levanah!"

The blazing aura surrounded the EXCELSA, the Gundam going at its opponent like a furious meteor. Zack tried to counterattack, but by the time he managed to get a lock the Crossbone was already far too close. A knee struck the Zaku's chest, cracking the extra armor, the Beam Shields knocking away the other weapon and damaging the few extra armaments that still had ammo to spare. A spin kick to the face put Zack's sensors in a daze. He activated the Mega Boost E-CAP once more to try and level the field again, but the superior mobility of the Crossbone kept him from being able to. "No... come on! I was so close!" Zack shouted.

Finally, Levanah had her Gundam raise its arm, the spinning shield focusing to a point, a cone of spinning energy around it. Levanah herself started to mimic her Gundam's actions, planting her feet hard. The blazing aura around the Crossbone began feeding into the cone of energy above its fist, spiraling viciously. "THIS IS IT! GIGA... _BEAM_..." The spiraling energy grew larger and larger, bigger than the Gunpla itself. "_**DRILL**_..." With the Crossbone's thrusters clamping down hard and firing at full force, the Gundam flew at the Zaku, the gigantic drill made of energy ahead of it. "_**BRRAAAAAAANNDEERRR!**_"

Zack didn't even attempt to react. He just smiled as the oncoming finishing blow, letting it come at him. "Heh... wouldn't expect anything less, American Champ... I'll have to try harder next time."

[BATTLE ENDED]

* * *

My sincere apologies for the lack of updates recently, this chapter's been half-finished for a couple months but other things kept coming up. Updates should hopefully be more frequent now.


End file.
